Abstract

Background: Internal hernias are rare and constitute only a small fraction of bowel obstruction cases. Herniation through the broad ligament of the uterus, known as Allen-Masters syndrome, is an exceptionally rare cause of small bowel obstruction.

Case Report: We present the case of a 56-years-old woman with clinical signs indicative of mechanical bowel obstruction. During diagnostic laparoscopy, a segment of the small bowel was found entrapped within the broad ligament (ligamentum latum uteri). The entrapped bowel loop was released, and the ligament defect was sutured.

Conclusion: A defect in the ligamentum latum uteri, as seen in Allen-Masters syndrome, is a rare and often incidental finding in female patients presenting with ileus. This syndrome may account for nonspecific symptoms such as dyspareunia, dysmenorrhea, and both acute and chronic pelvic pain. Allen-Masters syndrome can be effectively diagnosed and treated through a laparoscopic approach.

Keywords: Allen-Masters syndrome; Broad ligament; internal hernia; intestinal obstruction; small bowel herniation

License

Copyright (c) 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

How to Cite

1.
Şevik HO, Arslantürk N, Tekin O, Yüksel S, Düzköylü Y. A rare cause of small bowel obstruction internal herniation due to Allen-masters Syndrome: case report and literature review. J Trends Med Invest. 2025;1(2):58-62. https://doi.org/10.64512/JTMI.2025.12

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