• Stephanie D Talutis, Oliver J Muensterer, Samir Pandya, Whitney McBride, and Gustavo Stringel.
• Department of General Surgery, Boston University, 88 East Newton Street, C515, Boston, MA, 02118, USA. Electronic address: Stephanie.Talutis@bmc.org.
• J. Pediatr. Surg. 2015 Mar 1; 50 (3): 456-61.

BackgroundTraumatic abdominal wall hernia (TAWH) is defined as herniation through a disrupted portion of musculature/fascia without skin penetration or history of prior hernia. In children, TAWH is a rare injury.ObjectiveThe objectives of this study were to report our experience with different management strategies of TAWH in children and to determine the utility of laparoscopy.Design/MethodA retrospective chart review of all children treated by pediatric surgery at our institution for TAWH in a 5year interval was performed. Data were collected on mechanism of injury, initial patient presentation, surgical management, and outcomes.ResultsWe present 5 cases of traumatic abdominal wall hernia; 3 were managed using laparoscopic assistance. One patient was managed nonoperatively. All patients recovered without complications and were asymptomatic on follow up.ConclusionTraumatic abdominal wall hernias require a high index of suspicion in the cases of blunt abdominal trauma. Laparoscopy is useful mainly as a diagnostic modality, both to evaluate the hernia and associated injuries to intraabdominal structures. Its use may facilitate repair through a smaller incision. Conservative management of TAWH may be appropriate in select cases where there is a low risk of bowel strangulation.Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

29 keywords...

hide…