The 90-year-old patient (female, Dong Thap province) was admitted to Minh Anh International General Hospital, in a state of shortness of breath, subtle pain. Rapid, shallow and rapid breathing made the patient unable to sleep peacefully.
At the hospital, doctors diagnosed that the entire stomach of the patient was no longer in the abdominal cavity but had been stretched, rotated and moved up to the chest cavity. Not only the stomach, but also the connective membrane, peripheral membrane and transverse colon were also pulled along, overflowing into the chest cavity, occupying the space of the lungs and heart, causing the patient to have difficulty breathing and prolonged fatigue. After examination, the patient was indicated for surgery.
MSc.BSCKI Le Thanh Quang - Head of General Surgery Department, Minh Anh International General Hospital, said: "We have to face a very complicated situation. In the abdominal cavity, there are about 2 kg of herniated tissue strongly compressed, reducing lung capacity to an alarming level, causing severe damage due to lung collapse. The patient was indicated for endoscopic surgery to return the herniated organs to their correct position in the abdominal cavity carefully, avoiding damage to the intestinal part that has been stuck for a long time.
The special feature of the case lies in the treatment of the diaphragm. Due to old age, the patient's diaphragm is eroded, calloused and deformed. Doctors decided to place a small mesh to reinforce, narrow the hernia and fix the organs.
Only 15 minutes after completing the technical operations, the patient's clinical indicators improved significantly. However, to ensure safety, the patient was still supported with a ventilator for a short time to restore lung function after many years of compression.
For common diaphragmatic herniation cases, the organ only overflows to one side. For this patient, the situation is much more complicated when the organ overflows to both sides of the chest. This is the 3rd successful case performed at the hospital," Dr. Le Thanh Quang added.
