Strangulated femoral hernia containing a perforated appendix.

' 2004 Canadian Medical Association A 27 000 cases of femoral hernia occur yearly in the USA, accounting for 3% of all hernias. The hernial sac may contain preperitoneal fat, omentum, small bowel or colon and, rarely, the appendix, reported to occur in 0.8% of femoral hernias. To date, only 12 cases of perforated appendicitis in a femoral hernia have been documented, none in the past 13 years. Because of the unusual, rare presentation, management is not well defined. Based on our experience and on previously reported cases, we present relevant trends in diagnosis and management of this rare clinical entity.