Purpose: Thoracoabdominal hernias remain a rare and poorly understood entity. Data remain sparse as terminology varies in the literature and case reports demonstrate wide variability in technique. We present a novel approach for repair of thoracoabdominal hernias using the robotic platform.
Methods: Two patients underwent a robotic thoracoabdominal hernia repair in June 2022. They were followed for 1 year with CT scans every 6 months to exclude recurrence. Patient demographics and peri-operative details including defect size, closure technique, mesh size, length of stay, and complications were reported.
Results: Both patients successfully underwent a robotic repair of a thoracoabdominal hernia, addressing the intercostal hernia, diaphragmatic disruption, and flank hernia discretely during the operation. One patient had an uneventful recovery and discharged on post-operative day 3; the other developed a small bowel obstruction due to an early port site hernia which required surgical intervention. He eventually discharged on post-operative day 9. At one year, there is no clinical or radiographic evidence of recurrence for either patient.
Conclusion: Robotic thoracoabdominal hernia repair is feasible and offers a minimally invasive repair option for these extremely complex hernias.
Keywords: Intercostal hernia; Robotic hernia repair; Thoracoabdominal hernia; Thoracolumbar hernia.
© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag France SAS, part of Springer Nature.