Early recurrence of congenital diaphragmatic hernia is higher after thoracoscopic than open repair: a single institutional study.

INTRODUCTION: Experience in thoracoscopic congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) repair has expanded, yet efficacy equal to that of open repair has not been demonstrated. In spite of reports suggesting higher recurrent hernia rates after thoracoscopic repair, this approach has widely been adopted into practice. We report a large, single institutional experience with thoracoscopic CDH repair with special attention to recurrent hernia rates.

METHODS: We reviewed the records of neonates with unilateral CDH repaired between January 2006 and February 2010 at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital. Completely thoracoscopic repairs were compared to open repairs of the same period. In addition, successful thoracoscopic repairs were compared with thoracoscopic repairs that developed recurrence. Data were analyzed by Mann-Whitney U and Fisher exact tests.

RESULTS: Thirty-five neonates underwent attempted thoracoscopic repair, with 26 completed. Concurrently, 19 initially open CDH repairs were performed. Preoperatively, patients in the open repair group required more ventilatory support than the thoracoscopic group. Recurrence was higher after thoracoscopic repair (23% vs 0%; P = .032). In comparing successful thoracoscopic repairs to those with recurrence, none of the factors analyzed were predictive of recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS: Early recurrence of hernia is higher in thoracoscopic CDH repairs than in open repairs. Technical factors and a steep learning curve for thoracoscopy may account for the higher recurrence rates, but not patient severity of illness. In an already-tenuous patient population, performing the repair thoracoscopically with a higher risk of recurrence may not be advantageous.