Robotic repair of iatrogenic left diaphragmatic hernia. A case report

Repair of diaphragmatic hernias: Retrospective analysis of 70 cases

BACKGROUND

Congenital and traumatic diaphragmatic hernias (DH) can lead to respiratory and gastrointestinal complications that can be the cause of serious morbidity and mortality. In this study, we aimed to share our experience with the surgical repair of complicated or non-complicated DH.

METHODS

Patients who were operated on under emergency or elective conditions with the diagnosis of DH between 2009 and 2023 were analyzed retrospectively. Demographic characteristics, histories, symptoms, etiology of DH, computed tomography find-ings, surgical techniques, and postoperative outcomes of the patients were recorded.

RESULTS

The mean age of the cases was 51.5±18.5, and 29 were female and 41 were male. Hernia etiology was found to be con-genital (40%), traumatic (32.8%), spontaneous (14.3%), and iatrogenic (12.8%), respectively. The mean diameter of the defects was 7.3±2.76 cm (range: 3-15 cm), and 84% of the defects were on the left side. Sixty percent of the cases were treated by laparoscopic surgery and 11.4% by laparotomy. The conversion rate from laparoscopic to open was 24.3%. Dual mesh was used in 48% of the pa-tients, and primary suturing was applied in 34%. The postoperative mortality rate was 7.1%.

CONCLUSION

DH is an important cause of morbidity and mortality due to abdominal organ strangulation and pulmonary and cardiac complications. When a DH is diagnosed, laparoscopic or open surgery is the treatment that should be preferred.

Surgical management of delayed-presentation diaphragm hernia: A single-institution experience

Objectives

Delayed-presentation diaphragm hernias are uncommon, and surgical management varies widely across practices. We describe our surgical experience with delayed-presentation diaphragm hernias as a case series of 14 patients, 9 of whom underwent minimally invasive repair.

Methods

We performed a retrospective chart review of our prospective database of all patients treated surgically for delayed-presentation diaphragm hernia at our institution from January 1, 2005, to April 30, 2021. We excluded patients with poststernotomy, post–left ventricular assist device, and previously diagnosed congenital hernias. We recorded patient demographics, etiology, laterality, chronicity, operative details, postoperative complications, and long-term results.

Results

We performed surgical repair of delayed-presentation diaphragm hernia in 14 patients. Eleven patients (79%) were male, the median age was 61 (18-83) years, the median body mass index was 29.2 (14.5-33.7), and 8 (57%) hernias were left-sided. Etiology was trauma (n = 7, 50%), iatrogenic (n = 5, 36%), and unknown (n = 2, 14%). Median time to presentation in patients with traumatic and iatrogenic hernias was 7.5 years (6 weeks to 38 years). Nine patients (64%) underwent minimally invasive repair, and 5 patients (36%) underwent open repair. We used a synthetic patch in all but 2 patients (86%). Median length of stay was 5 (3-27) days. Two patients (14%) had major complications. There were no deaths. Twelve patients (86%) had follow-up imaging at a median follow-up of 17 months (1-192) with zero recurrences.

Conclusions

Our experience suggests that a minimally invasive or an open approach to patients with a delayed-presentation diaphragm hernia is safe and effective. We recommend tailoring the surgical approach based on patient characteristics, anatomic considerations, and surgeons’ experience.

Passing Through a Hole: Delayed Diaphragmatic Hernia After Cytoreductive Surgery

A diaphragmatic hernia is a protrusion of abdominal contents into the thoracic cavity. Although it is commonly congenital, diaphragmatic hernias can also be acquired. Blunt or penetrating trauma are among the most frequent causes, although spontaneous or iatrogenic cases have been reported. Recently, some case reports related to diaphragmatic hernia after debulking surgery for advanced ovarian cancer have been described. This is an exceedingly rare but life-threatening complication, being prompt recognition and surgical correction critical.

We report a case of a delayed diaphragmatic hernia in a 19-year-old female resulting from cytoreductive surgery for advanced ovarian cancer. Rapid evolution from gastrointestinal symptoms to hypovolemic shock occurred, and intensive care admission was required. Immediate surgery was critical to improving the patient outcome.

This case highlights this uncommon but life-threatening complication, the challenges of diagnosing and managing those patients, and the need for early recognition, support, and surgical correction.

Minimally invasive repair of a left diaphragm hernia after debulking surgery for advanced ovarian cancer

Eighty percent of women with ovarian cancer have advanced disease (FIGO stage III or IV) at the time of diagnoses and require extensive upper abdominal surgery to obtain complete gross resection (Minig et al., 2015, Eisenhauer et al., 2006). A diaphragmatic hernia is defined as abdominal contents bulging into the thoracic cavity (Spellar and Gupta, 2020). While rare following primary debulking surgery (PDS), these present with a variety of symptoms and are often misdiagnosed. Computed tomography (CT) is the diagnostic gold standard (Vertaldi et al., 2020). This video demonstrates repair of a left-sided complex diaphragm hernia via robotic video-assisted thoracic surgery in a 45-year-old with stage IVB ovarian cancer. She previously underwent extensive PDS, including modified posterior exenteration, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, omentectomy, bilateral pelvic lymph node dissection, appendectomy, bilateral diaphragm peritonectomy, splenectomy, resection of a right mediastinal lymph node, and insertion of a right chest tube. Complete gross resection was achieved. No left-sided diaphragm resection or repair was performed during the initial surgery. She received standard adjuvant chemotherapy with paclitaxel, carboplatin and bevacizumab. Six months postoperatively a surveillance CT scan revealed a small left hemidiaphragm hernia containing parts of the stomach. Although initially asymptomatic, she developed mild symptoms on follow-up, especially with lying supine. Imaging showed an increase in the size of the diaphragm defect. After completion of her maintenance bevacizumab therapy, corrective surgery was performed to prevent incarceration of the stomach. This video demonstrates the complex repair of this 4 × 6 cm defect located in the central tendon of the diaphragm. On two-week follow-up after corrective surgery, the patient's symptoms had resolved.