Enterocele in a perfectly healthy 59-year old woman: a case report

Abstract

An enterocele is a loss of vaginal connection to the endopelvic fascia, but it could also be due to congenital defects in the vaginal support, increased intra-abdominal pressure or a wider levator hiatus. This is a clinical presentation of a 59-year old African American woman with no significant past medical history who developed a vaginal enterocele. An exploratory laparotomy was performed and there was a ruptured area approximately 3 cm in size in the posterior cul-de-sac. The remainder of the vagina showed no evidence of any traumatic entry, bruising or hematomas; thus, the prolapsed bowel was reduced back into the abdominal cavity and the defect was repaired. The patient has no previous history of abdominal or pelvic surgeries, no evidence of malignancy seen during the surgery and denied any recent trauma; based on these factors, it still remains a mystery as to why she developed a vaginal enterocele.