Intestinal stenosis of Garré: A rare cause of small bowel obstruction in the virgin abdomen

•Reports of strictures following strangulated hernia repair are few, presented in different languages, and the data is frequently incomplete. We present a case report and a comprehensive literature review over the last century.•Intestinal stenosis of Garré was more frequently reported to follow inguinal hernia repair than femoral hernia repair (57.1% vs. 42.9%).•Most males developed a delayed stricture following an inguinal hernia repair (93.3%). 84.6% of females, on the other hand, developed intestinal stenosis following repair of a femoral hernia•87.5% of strictures developed on the right side. The terminal ileum is the narrowest part of the small bowel and is the segment where a stricture would result in the biggest impact.•The timing of development of a bowel obstruction is very variable and ranges from 5 days to 22 years. 22 patients (68.8%), however, presented with an obstruction within 5 months of hernia repair.

IntroductionSmall bowel obstruction (SBO) in the virgin abdomen usually requires operative intervention. Intestinal stenosis of Garré is a rare and frequently missed cause of SBO following hernia repair.MethodsWe describe a case of intestinal stenosis of Garré and provide a comprehensive review of the literature. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics V.22 software and included descriptive analysis.ResultsMost males developed a delayed stricture following an inguinal hernia repair (93.3%). 84.6% of females, on the other hand, developed intestinal stenosis following repair of a femoral hernia. 87.5% of strictures developed on the right side. The timing of development of a bowel obstruction is very variable and ranges from 5 days to 22 years. 22 patients (68.8%), however, presented with an obstruction within 5 months of hernia repair.ConclusionsIntestinal stenosis of Garré is an under-reported cause of delayed stricture formation.It is most common following right inguinal hernia repair in men and right femoral hernia repair in women.