Laparoscopic relief of reduction en masse of incarcerated inguinal hernia.

Reduction en masse of a hernia is defined as the displacement of a hernia mass without relief of incarceration or strangulation. This entity is an extremely rare occurrence. This diagnosis should be considered in all cases of intestinal obstruction after apparent reduction of an incarcerated hernia. Because of the extremely rare occurrence of this condition, however, the definitive diagnosis of reduction en masse may be difficult. We report the first case of laparoscopic relief of reduction en masse of incarcerated inguinal hernia. Laparoscopic surgery can be considered a better approach than open surgery because, while it is just as effective as the latter in making a definitive diagnosis and relieving incarceration, it is much less invasive and allows the patient to make a more rapid recovery.