The aim of this study was to determine the outcome for patients treated for strangulated inguinal hernia with intestinal resection for gangrenous. Between May 1997 and November 1998, 124 patients were admitted to our hospital for acute intestinal obstruction; 34 of them were treated for strangulated inguinal hernia and 17 underwent an intestinal resection. The outcome for the 34 patients with strangulated hernias were analysed retrospectively. Strangulated inguinal hernia occurred in young patients (80 per cent of our patients were aged under 45 years) and strangulation had evolved over an average of 2.5 days. The clinical picture was simple strangulated hernia in 10 cases, with intestinal obstruction syndrome in 15 cases, peritonitis in 3 cases, phlegmonous hernia in 4 cases, and fistulae in one case. Fifty per cent of patients had intestinal resection with poor means of resuscitation. This resection concerned 80 per cent of patients with strangulation lasting over 72 hours. Surgical repair of hernia was performed in 24 cases at the same time. There were numerous complications, notably: wound sepsis (16 cases), post-operative peritonitis (3 cases) and multiple system failure (12 cases). The mortality rate was 40 per cent and concerned 86 per cent of patients with small bowel necrosis and 89 per cent of those admitted after 96 hours of strangulation.