Congenital Lumbar Hernia: A Case Report and Literature Review

Congenital lumbar hernia (CLH) is an extremely rare abdominal wall defect, with fewer than 130 cases reported globally to date. We describe the case of a newborn boy diagnosed prenatally with multiple abnormalities who presented at birth with a left lumbar swelling. The patient exhibited a complex array of associated anomalies, including double outlet right ventricle, right renal agenesis, and extensive skeletal deformities consistent with lumbo-thoraco-vertebral syndrome. Due to the high anesthetic risk posed by his severe cardiac disease, standard surgical repair was deferred. Managed conservatively with multidisciplinary follow-up, the patient remains stable at 20 months of age. This case demonstrates that while surgical repair is the gold standard, conservative management is a safe, justified alternative when life-threatening comorbidities increase surgical risk.