Diaphragmatic Hernia Surgery

Because diaphragmatic hernias are caused by a blunt force injury, repair of the issue may be complicated by other injuries to the body.

The surgical procedure is similar to other hernias. After anesthesia has been administered, your surgeon will make several incisions to access the region where the hernia has occurred. Using a small video camera to monitor the surgical field, surgical instruments are inserted through the incisions and guided to the diaphragmatic hernia.

Using these miniaturized instruments, the surgeon will push the parts of the stomach or intestine that are protruding into the chest cavity back through the diaphragm. If the hole in the diaphragm is small, sutures will be used to close it. If it’s a relatively large tear, synthetic mesh will be attached to the surrounding structures to reinforce the diaphragm and prevent the organs from protruding into the chest cavity again.

In most cases, the hernia will not return and after a short recovery time, the region should be healed entirely and it should not restrict your ability to lead an active life.