Robotic repair of large Morgagni hernia in an adolescent girl

Abstract

Introduction: Successful robotic repair of Morgagni hernias has been reported a few times, but in these cases the hernia content was rather minimal or unspecified. The goal of this case report is to demonstrate the feasibility of robotic repair of a Morgagni hernia in an adolescent girl, even with massive hernia content. Case report: The case of a15-year-old girl with incidental discovery of a huge Morgagni hernia is presented. The hernia contained the stomach, part of the colon, small intestine and a significant portion of the mesentery. Repair was successfully carried out with the da Vinci Xi Surgical System® (Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, USA. Overall surgery time was 2 h and 10 min, including a 13-min docking time. The procedure was uneventful. Postoperative pain was minimal and oral intake possible on the first day after surgery. Discussion: The advantages of laparoscopic vs open surgery in closing Morgagni hernia's are evident. The main advantage of robotic surgery over laparoscopic surgery in this case was the enhanced maneuverability and view. Conclusion: This case demonstrates that robotic repair of a Morgagni hernia, even with massive hernia content, is feasible in adolescents. However, whether robotic surgery in general, and for Morgagni hernia in particular, is superior to laparoscopy in children, remains to be proven.