title: Unusual findings in inguinal hernia surgery: report of 6 rare cases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To present our experience with unexpected findings during hernia surgery, either unusual hernial contents or pathologic entities, like neoplastic masses, masquerading as a hernia.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied retrospectively 856 patients with inguinal hernia who were admitted to our surgical department over a 9-year period. In addition, our study included patients complaining of inguinal protrusion, even without a definitive diagnosis of inguinal hernia upon admission.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Five patients presented with unusual hernial contents. Three of them had a vermiform appendix in their sac. Acute appendicitis (Amyands hernia) was found in only one case. One patient had epiploic appendagitis related with a groin hernia. Moreover, an adult woman was diagnosed with ovarian and tubal inguinal hernia. Finally, we report a case of a massive extratesticular intrascrotal lipoma, initially misdiagnosed as a scrotal hernia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  a hernia surgeon may encounter unexpected intraoperative findings. It is important to be prepared to detect them and apply the appropriate treatment.
authors.affiliation: 2nd Department of Propaedeutic Surgery, Hippokratio General Hospital, Aristotle University Medical School, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ballas
authors.forename: Th
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kontoulis
authors.forename: Ch
authors.initials: Ch
authors.lastname: Skouras
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Triantafyllou
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Symeonidis
authors.forename: Th
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pavlidis
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Marakis
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sakadamis