Repair of a thoracic incisional hernia in a patient after elective abdominothoracic esophageal resection

Herein, we report from a 70-year-old male patient being diagnosed with a thoracic intercostal incisional hernia who prior underwent abdominothoracic surgery due to carcinoma of esophagogastric junction. These hernias are very rare, therefore there exist no established techniques for surgical treatment.

The patient has described a pain in the right-sided hemithorax and a bulge while coughing for several weeks. He had a long history of smoking. Clinical examination revealed an intercostal anterolateral hernia which was confirmed via radiological computed tomography (CT) scan with a defect size of 7.5 cm.

Subfascial hernia mesh repair is feasible in thoracic incisional hernia and was well-tolerated by the patient. However, these hernias remain very rare therefore there are no common recommendations for standardized treatment. Future data should be collected centrally using registered data bank.