Percutaneous internal suturing procedure for a posttraumatic abdominal wall “handlebar hernia”

Posttraumatic abdominal wall hernias are extremely rare and are the result of the wall impact with an object that does not break the skin but has enough energy to disrupt the underlying muscular and fascia layers. One of the most frequent mechanisms for the pediatric population is the handle bar traumatic injury. We present the case of a 13-year-old male patient that was diagnosed with posttraumatic handlebar hernia in the right lower quadrant after performing a CT scan examination. The chosen surgical procedure was to repair the abdominal defect using an adaptation of the PIRS (percutaneous internal ring suturing) suturing technique assisted laparoscopically. The follow up of the case was uneventful.

Handlebar sign: a bruise with underlying visceral injury

A 14-year-old boy presented with a painful swelling topped by a bruise overlying the skin of the right inguinal region without peritonitis. This was the area of impact of bicycle handlebar while riding 6 days ago. On contrast-enhanced CT scan, we found a traumatic abdominal wall hernia (handlebar hernia) near the right deep ring without any solid organ, bowel or urinary bladder injury. Inguinal exploration revealed a defect in transversus abdominis and internal oblique muscle which was repaired and meshplasty was done.Delayed presentation and ignorance towards ‘handlebar sign’ is associated with visceral injury (haematoma/perforation) will incur the risk of rising morbidity and mortality. With CT scan we can assess the abdominal cavity to rule out associated visceral or vascular injury. Surgical repair for restoring disrupted anatomy with or without meshplasty is the preferred approach.