Reported here is the case of a 6 year old male child with a left Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia who underwent thoracoscopic repair. The use of continuous low pressure CO2 insufflation pneumothorax during the procedure not only made manipulation during the reduction of bowel contents back into the abdomen easier, but also facilitated repair of the defect as it maintained bowel reduction during suturing. Although prolonged CO2 has been hypothesized to be hazardous leading to hypercapnea and aggravating pulmonary hypertension in Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia patients. The authors found it to be a safe modification of the technique as long as pre-operative planning, patient selection and intra-operative maneuvers were proprely performed.
Hernias, Diaphragmatic, Congenital