Surgery still opens an unexpected bag of worms! An intraperitoneal live female Dirofilaria worm: case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Intra-abdominal filarial infection is extremely rare.

METHODS: Case report and review of the literature.

RESULTS: A 63-year-old man presented with a painful swelling in the peri-umbilical area. An urgent laparotomy was performed for suspected strangulated peri-umbilical hernia. A live intraperitoneal worm was retrieved during the repair of the hernial sac that proved to be a female Dirofilaria immitis.

CONCLUSIONS: Only one previous case of intraperitoneal involvement by dirofilariasis is described in the medical literature. Ours is the first case report of a live dirofilarial worm in the abdominal cavity of a human being.