title: Obturator hernia should be considered in the differential diagnosis of hip and knee pain.
abstract: Obturator hernia is a rare disease usually occurring in debilitated elderly women. Pain radiating down the medial thigh and knee (Howship-Romberg sign) is a specific sign of the disease. Presently described is a case of obturator hernia in a 73-year-old female patient who presented with severe left hip pain radiating down the medial thigh and knee, nausea, and loss of appetite. Initially, vertebral disc herniation was thought to be cause, but abdomino-pelvic computed tomography scan revealed left strangulated obturator hernia. Diagnosis of obturator hernia can be challenging. Physicians should consider obturator hernia in the differential diagnosis of knee and hip pain, and investigate for Howship-Romberg sign. Early diagnosis of the disease not only decreases morbidity and mortality, but also presents opportunity to treat with minimally invasive methods.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Muğla Sıtkı Koçman Faculty of Medicine, Muğla-Turkey. ahmetbelli@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ahmet Korkut
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Belli
authors.forename: Gündüz
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Memiş
authors.forename: Özcan
authors.initials: Ö
authors.lastname: Dere
authors.forename: Ulaş
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Koşan
authors.forename: Okay
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Nazlı
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006553:Hernia, Obturator / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006615:Hip; D006801:Humans; D007717:Knee; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology; D010808:Physical Examination; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed