Introduction
Inguinal hernia repairs are some of the most performed operations in
general surgery worldwide.1 A rare and disconcerting
finding during surgical exploration of the inguinal canal is absence of
the vas deferens. This finding has been described in up to 1% of
inguinal hernia repairs in pediatric patients 2-6, but
has not yet been described in inguinal hernia repairs in adult patients.
We report the first incidental finding of unilateral absence of the vas
deferens during elective laparoscopic totally extraperitoneal (TEP)
inguinal hernia repair in an adult patient and describe the
postoperative findings and management, clinical relevance,
pathophysiology, and make recommendations for management based on
literature and our experiences.