A Case of Traumatic Ventral Hernia Repair with a Porcine Dermal Collagen Graft (Permacol)

Resection of the bowel is necessary for the repair of a ventral hernia after recovery from trauma in some cases. In such instances, polyester or polypropylene meshcannot be used due to the possibility of infection; we had to use biological mesh instead. We report a case in which a traumatic hernia was repaired with Permacol (Covidien, Norwalk, CT, USA). A 42-year-old male patient had been injured by a factory machine seven months prior to admission. At that time, he had abdominal wall injury and small bowel perforation. His abdominal wall had been a defect after operation. A CT scan of the abdomen showed that the left abdominal wall, which is lateral to left rectus abdominis muscle had only one muscle layer, an external oblique muscle, and that a previous abdominal incision had a defect along the entire incision. During the exploration, 10 cm of small bowel was removed due to firm adhesion to the previous surgical scar. Permacol mesh was applied and fixed with transfascial fixations and tacks by using the intraperitoneal onlay mesh technique. There were no complications after the surgery and the patient was discharged without any problems.

Hernia traumática de pared abdominal secundaria a atrición por tronco de árbol / Traumatic abdominal wall hernia: case report

We report a 34 years old male that while working in forest activities, suffered a blunt trauma caused by the trunk of a tree. On abdominal examination, a bulging on the right upper quadrant with ecchymoses was noted. And abdominal CAT scan showed a great defect of right oblique and transverse abdominis muscles with herniation of the ascending colon. The patient was operated, finding a hemoperitoneum. The abdominal cavity was washed thoroughly and the wall defect was covered with a mesh. The patient had an uneventful postoperative recovery and was discharged nine days later.

Las hernias traumáticas de pared abdominal (HTPA) son una patología poco frecuente. Se definen como la rotura musculofascial causada por un traumatismo directo, sin penetración de la piel ni evidencia de hernia previa en el sitio de la lesión. El 78 por ciento son causadas por accidentes viales y en menor frecuencia por patadas de animales, caídas de altura, traumas deportivos, utensilios profesionales y aplastamientos. Presentamos el caso de un paciente masculino de 34 años derivado al Servicio de Urgencia del Hospital de Chillan por atrición toracoabdominal derecha, en faena forestal, cuyo estudio tomográfico revela gran defecto de músculos oblicuos y transversos derechos con herniación de colon ascendente hacia la pared abdominal.

Hernia diafragmática traumática / Diaphragmatic traumatic hernia

Introducción: las hernias diafragmáticas traumáticas comúnmente ocurren posteriores a trauma penetrante cerrado. Debido a las lesiones coexistentes y a la naturaleza silenciosa de las lesiones diafragmáticas, el diagnóstico fácilmente se omite. El objetivo de este estudio fue describir las características clínicas de pacientes consecutivos con hernias diafragmáticas traumáticas tratadas quirúrgicamente en nuestra institución. Material y métodos: cohorte prospectiva de pacientes tratados durante un periodo de seis años. Evaluamos edad, sexo, tipo de mecanismo del trauma, tipo de hernia, método diagnóstico, órganos herniados, lesiones asociadas, tiempo de evolución, morbilidad y mortalidad. Los resultados se describen como frecuencias y medidas de tendencia central y de dispersión. Se empleó χ2 y prueba exacta de Fisher para explorar asociación y riesgo. Resultados: se incluyeron 23 pacientes, 19 fueron hombres (82.6 %) y cuatro mujeres (17.4 %). En nueve pacientes (39.1 %) fueron diagnosticadas hernias diafragmáticas agudas y en 14, hernias crónicas (60.9 %). En 18 (78.3 %) el diagnóstico se hizo mediante radiografía de tórax y la mayoría correspondió a hernias crónicas. La historia médica de trauma toracoabdominal cerrado estuvo presente en 95.7 %, en la mayoría relacionado con accidentes vehiculares. Las principales lesiones asociadas fueron trauma encefálico, fracturas costales y contusión pulmonar. La morbilidad se observó en seis pacientes, todos con hernias crónicas. No hubo mortalidad. Conclusiones: la hernia diafragmática traumática es una entidad clínica poco frecuente y constituye un verdadero desafío debido a las dificultades para el rápido y correcto diagnóstico. En etapa crónica hay mayor riesgo para complicaciones tardías como estrangulamiento y necrosis de vísceras.

BACKGROUND: Traumatic diaphragmatic hernias commonly occur after blunt and penetrating trauma. Due to coexisting injuries and the silent nature of the diaphragmatic injuries, the diagnosis is easily missed. We undertook this study to describe the clinical characteristics of consecutive patients with traumatic diaphragmatic hernias treated surgically at our institution. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort of patients treated during a 6-year period. We assessed variables such as age, gender, type of mechanism of trauma, type of hernia, methods of diagnosis, herniated organs and associated lesions, time of evolution, morbidity and mortality. Results are described as frequencies, dispersion and central tendency measures. Chi(2) and Fisher's exact tests were used to explore association and risks. RESULTS: Twenty three patients were included, 19 men (82.6%) and 4 women (17.4%). Acute DTH were diagnosed in nine patients (39.1%) and 14 cases presented as chronic DTH (60.9%). In 18 cases (78.3%) the diagnosis was made by chest x-ray and most corresponded to chronic hernias. Medical history of blunt thoracoabominal trauma was present in 95.7% of the cases, most related to car accidents. The principal associated lesions were head injuries, rib fractures and lung contusion. morbidity was observed in six patients, all with chronic hernias. there was no mortality. CONCLUSIONS: DTH is a rare clinical entity and constitutes a true challenge due to difficulties for a rapid and correct diagnosis. In the chronic stage there is an increased risk for late complications such as visceral strangulation and necrosis.