IMPORTANT: We currently have a number of bugs related to image cropping and are actively trying to resolve them. In the meantime, we have disabled cropping. Apologies for any inconvenience. Stay informed: radiopaedia.org/chat

Lumbar hernia

Case contributed by Stephanie BM Tan
Diagnosis certain

Presentation

Long standing lump in left lower back, recently became tender.

Patient Data

Age: 55-60
Gender: Male
ct

There is a left lateral abdominal wall hernia. The neck is at the posterior margin of the left external and internal oblique muscle. The hernia bulges into the lateral abdominal wall subcutaneous fat. It contains fat and descending colon. 

No signs of any obstruction or strangulation.

Case Discussion

There are two possible triangular defects in the lumbar region from which hernias can arise:

  • superior lumbar triangle (Grynfeltt): this is an inverted triangle; the base is the 12th rib, posterior border is erector spinae, anterior border is the posterior margin of the external oblique and apex is the iliac crest
  • inferior lumbar triangle (Petit): the boundaries are the external oblique, the latissimus dorsi and the iliac crest caudally

How to use cases

You can use Radiopaedia cases in a variety of ways to help you learn and teach.

Creating your own cases is easy.

Updating… Please wait.

 Unable to process the form. Check for errors and try again.

 Thank you for updating your details.