A doctor in Taichung explained the rare condition of an incarcerated obturator hernia after an 85-year-old man was hospitalized when a patch of his skin turned black.
The man, surnamed Chen (陳), who had been unable to speak for more than two years due to a stroke, was hospitalized after family members found that a patch of skin 3cm in diameter on his right side near the hip bone had turned black.
After examining the skin, Kao Kuo-yao (高國堯), a doctor in the general surgery division at Taichung Tzu Chi Hospital, said cellulitis might have caused skin necrosis.
However, during surgery to clean the patch, intestinal fluids and feces leaked out, Kao said.
After a CT scan, Chen was diagnosed with an incarcerated obturator hernia, which can result in death, Kao said, adding that Chen had recovered and been discharged after emergency surgery.
Chen’s gastrointestinal tract was trapped by the obturator hernia, parts of his intestinal wall had undergone necrosis and an enterocutaneous fistula had formed, Kao said.
Obturator hernias most often occur in thin, elderly women who have given birth, he said, adding that the male-to-female ratio for the condition is about one-to-six.
Chen might have developed the hernia after his weight dropped to 35kg, perhaps due to a loss of appetite, Kao said, adding that it was fortunate his intestinal fluids had not flowed into his abdominal cavity and the necrosis did not lead to peritonitis.
Obturator hernias are a rare type of hernia that only occur in about 1.4 to 5 percent of cases, he said.
Due to a lack of unique symptoms, it is difficult to diagnose obturator hernias before surgery, he said, adding that only 20 percent of patients are diagnosed via palpation.
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
RSS