Laparoscopic repair of traumatic abdominal wall hernia from handlebar injury

A 14-year-old boy was seen at an outside hospital after falling over the handlebar of his bicycle and was discharged home. He was subsequently seen in our emergency department with complaints of persistent abdominal pain. A computed tomography scan of the abdomen revealed disruption of the muscles of the upper right abdominal wall containing the hepatic flexure of the colon, with a small amount of intraperitoneal free fluid noted. The patient underwent laparoscopic exploration using 3 ports (2-5 mm and 1-12 mm) and 2 separate stab incisions. The traumatic abdominal wall hernia was repaired with interrupted sutures placed with an ENDO CLOSE (Covidien, Mansfield, MA) device, and a mesenteric defect in the colon was approximated with intracorporeal sutures. The trocar sites were sutured closed. The patient recovered well and was discharged home. Follow-up examination revealed no abdominal wall defect and resolution of his symptoms. Laparoscopic repair of a traumatic abdominal wall defect and exploratory laparoscopy after trauma is feasible and safe in the pediatric patient. It should be considered as an alternative approach with potentially less morbidity than an exploratory laparotomy for handlebar injuries in a stable patient.