Traumatic thoracoabdominal hernia repair using a novel chest-wall reconstruction technique: a case report

Thoracoabdominal hernia following blunt trauma is extremely rare. Abdominal viscera are more likely to herniate into the thorax if there is traumatic diaphragmatic rupture. We report the case of a patient presenting with a traumatic thoracoabdominal hernia containing part of the right lobe of the liver and the hepatic flexure of the colon. The hernia migrated cranially, to protrude through a seventh intercostal defect despite the diaphragm remaining fully intact. The need for early multispecialty (thoracic and hepatobiliary) surgical repair is highlighted, with improvements in surgical outcome for a complex trauma case by using a novel chest-wall reconstruction technique.