[2] Nerves and blood vessels that pass through the obturator canal are covered and protected by adipose tissue.

When a person experiences significant weight loss due to malnutrition or chronic illness, this protective fatty tissue is lost allowing pelvic and abdominal contents to shift around and increasing the risk of an obturator hernia.

[1] The diagnosis is often made during laparoscopic pelvic exploration after the person arrives at the hospital with signs and symptoms consistent with bowel obstruction.

Laparoscopic pelvic exploration is a minimally invasive procedure that allows the surgeon to visually examine the contents of the abdomen without making a large cut.

[6] It is described as a sharp, stabbing pain in the medial thigh/obturator distribution, extending to the knee and is caused by the hernia pushing on the obturator nerve.

[15] Diagnosis of the obturator hernia often happens during the third stage or strangulation, at which point emergency surgery is the primary treatment to prevent mortality.

Due to the specific anatomical location of the obturator hernia, the surgery would be classified as an emergency procedure.

This technique allows the surgeon to check inside the hernia to see if any section of the bowel is trapped or pinched.

Based on the surgeon's clinical judgement, a bowel resection may be performed laparoscopically or through conversion to an open operation.

The lower central abdominal incision remains a prevalent choice due to its widespread familiarity and reduced risked of complications.

This cut is deepened carefully in order to allow the surgeon to gently separate the lining of the abdominal cavity from the underlying fatty tissue.

In a recent meta-analysis and systematic review of 1760 studies regarding obturator hernias, it was found that recurrence rates with mesh repair had a 31% chance of recurring, showing statistical significance with 95% confidence interval.

Although there are multiple different treatment approaches, many hospitals will follow their institution's guidelines for emergency hernia repair.

Common post-operative approaches include bowel rest, pain management and wound care.

There is not an official guideline adopted across all hospitals for how to approach pain management in people who are recovering from hernia repair, however a search of different hospital protocols shows that over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen (commonly known as Advil or Motrin) and acetaminophen (Tylenol) are commonly recommended.

Specific instructions on how to care for a person's wound should be discussed during their post operation visit with their medical doctor.

Often times people will be asked to return at 2 and 6 weeks after their surgery for the medical team to track the healing progress and help correct any pain or comfort issues.