Laparoscopic repair of traumatic diaphragmatic hernias

Background: Traumatic diaphragmatic hernias are serious complications of bl unt abdominal or thoracic trauma. In the early posttraumatic period, they a re often missed, and they may be followed by a variety of subacute or chron ic symptoms due to pulmonary or intestinal obstruction. Methods: We present three cases of traumatic diaphragmatic hernias. Two of them were successfully treated by laparoscopy and direct suturing during th e early posttraumatic period; the other was treated 10 years after the trau ma. Results: We found that laparoscopy is a safe, successful, and gentle proced ure not only for diagnosis but for treatment as well. The postoperative cou rse was uneventful in all cases. All patients remained asymptomatic during long-term follow-up (42-60 months). These results are promising. We expect the same good long-term results after laparoscopic repair as after open con ventional surgery. Conclusion: We recommend that surgeons with sufficient experience in laparo scopy use a minimally invasive approach to treat chronic as well as acute t raumatic diaphragmatic hernias in hemodynamically stable patients.