A Case of Traumatic Diaphragmatic Injury Repaired with a Laparoscopic Suture

Abstract

A 67-year-old woman was admitted to the emergency department after her thorax and abdomen were hit during a traffic accident. Computed tomography at the time of her arrival at the hospital revealed left diaphragmatic rupture with herniation of the stomach into the thoracic cavity. Since the patient's general condition was stable, with no evidence of other organ injuries or gastric obstruction, an elective laparoscopic repair was performed. During laparoscopy, the greater omentum was found within the left thoracic cavity protruding through a 10 cm diaphragmatic defect. The greater omentum was reduced to the peritoneal cavity, and the diaphragmatic defect was primarily closed with a non-absorbable suture. The patient recovered uneventfully and was discharged three days postoperatively.

Traumatic diaphragmatic injuries are relatively rare and account for approximately 1% of all thoracoabdominal injuries. Herein, we report a case of left diaphragmatic injury treated with laparoscopic surgery that had a good clinical course with early discharge.