Small bowel obstruction caused by an incarcerated hernia after iliac crest bone harvest

The iliac crest has become an often used site for autogenous bone graft, because of the easy access it affords. One of the less common complications that can occur after removal is a graft-site hernia. It was first reported in 1945 (see the work by Oldfield, 1945). We report a case of iliac crest bone hernia in a 53-year-old male who was admitted for elective resection of a pseudarthrosis and reconstruction of the left femur with iliac crest bone from the right side. One and a half months after initial surgery, the patient presented with increasing abdominal pain and signs of bowel obstruction. A CT scan of the abdominal cavity showed an obstruction of the small bowel caused by the bone defect of the right iliac crest. A laparoscopy showed a herniation of the small bowel. Due to collateral vessels of the peritoneum caused by portal hypertension, an IPOM (intraperitoneal onlay-mesh) occlusion could not be performed. We performed a conventional ventral hernia repair with an onlay mesh. The recovery was uneventful.