Pediatric Morgagni hernia: A 10 year single center experience

To present our institutional experience with pediatric morgagni hernia (MH) emphasizing the presentation, diagnostic workup, surgical techniques, and follow-up.

A retrospective chart review of patients diagnosed with MH who underwent surgical repair from May 2014 to May 2024. Data points collected included demographic, clinical, and follow up information. We analyzed the data using basic thematic analysis. For categorical variables, we employed counts and percentages. Statistical analysis performed using the Mann-Whitney U test.

Nine patients underwent MH repair. Respiratory symptoms were the most common, affecting 66% of patients. All patients received chest radiography, while 5 required computed tomography imaging. Three (33%) patients underwent laparotomy, 5 (55%) underwent laparoscopic repair, and 1 (11%) underwent thoracotomy repair. The laparotomy group required significantly more days in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) (p=0.037), more days on mechanical ventilation (p=0.020), and more days on IV narcotics (p=0.20). The laparotomy group experienced longer durations of NPO status and overall hospital stay. One (11%) patient experienced MH recurrence.

Laparoscopic repair offers superior outcomes, such as fewer days in the ICU and on mechanical ventilation, reduced intravenous narcotic use, shorter NPO durations, and an overall shorter hospital stay. When feasible and safe, laparoscopic repair should be considered the preferred method for pediatric MH.