Abstract
The patient was a 64-years-old woman who while driving a light car was injured in a collision with another car. Chest X-ray and computed tomography (CT) revealed herniation of abdominal viscera into the left thoracic cavity for which we performed laparotomy based on a diagnosis of traumatic left diaphragmatic hernia. We performed a mini-laparotomy via a skin incision placed 10 cm caudal to the xiphoid process. Intraoperatively, we found an approximately 8-cm tear of the left leaflet of the central tendon of the diaphragm, through which the stomach was seen herniating into the thoracic cavity. There was no damage to intrapleural or intraperitoneal organs. The diaphragmatic tear was closed with continuous suturing, and the patient’s condition was stable postoperatively. In surgical repair of traumatic diaphragmatic hernia without organ damage, injury can be easily identified and repaired using a mini-laparotomy approach. This approach is additionally useful as it allows resection under direct vision.
