Taenia saginata Removed Via Nasogastric Route: Case Report

Abstract

Inguinal hernia repair is one of the most frequently performed elective surgeries in general surgery. However, this surgery may sometimes encounter complications such as incarceration and especially strangulation, which require urgent surgical intervention. In such emergency cases, severe conditions may occur, ranging from simple hernia repair to bowel resection, which may lead to high morbidity and even mortality. Parasitic infections occurring during or after surgery have rarely been reported in the literature. In this case report, we wanted to emphasize the importance of the Taenia saginata (T. saginata) helminth parasite removed by the nasogastric route. A 66-year-old female patient who came to the emergency room with complaints of nausea and vomiting was diagnosed with ileus due to an incarcerated hernia and, therefore, underwent small bowel resection. During aspiration of stomach content, a gastrointestinal parasite wrapped around a nasogastric tube was found. Macroscopic and microscopic examinations revealed that this parasite was T. saginata. After oral intake was deemed appropriate, anthelmintic treatment was administered, and the patient’s general condition improved, and she was discharged. It should be kept in mind that T. saginata parasitic infection, which cannot be detected in clinical and laboratory tests and occurs coincidentally, may contribute to the development of incarceration in inguinal hernia patients living in areas with low socio-economic status, especially where sanitation is inadequate, consumption of raw or undercooked meat is common.

Keywords

• inguinal hernia
• incarceration
• strangulation
• nasogastric
• Taenia saginata

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