SPIGELIAN HERNIA - AN UNUSUAL CAUSE OF AN ELEVATED CA-125

Spigelian hernias are spontaneous lateral ventral abdominal wall herni as occurring along the subumbilical portion of the semilunar line of S pigel and through the spigelian fascia. It is an uncommon hernia with a variety of presentations that usually remains undiagnosed until expl oratory laparotomy. We report a 62-year-old woman with an elevated CA- 125 value of 149 and intraoperative findings of a left spigelian herni a. A simple herniorrhaphy was performed, and she is without evidence o f recurrence of the hernia after 9 months of follow-up. The CA-125 val ue returned to normal levels. Spigelian hernias are rarely suspected b ut, when encountered, should be repaired. A review of the anatomic fea tures and management of this unusual defect is given.