In an open surgery, two-handed as well as one-handed knot tying is commonplace. Knot tying in laparoscopic surgery traditionally involves the use of two instruments (for fashioning an intracorporeal knot) or passing of a ligature around a tubular structure, exteriorising it, fashioning a knot, and sliding it down with a knot-pusher (external slip knot). With increasing interest in expanding applications of single-incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS), surgeons are faced with new challenges. In SILS it is not usually possible to utilise two instruments for knot tying as they lie almost parallel. We describe a novel one-handed knot tying technique devised specifically for use in SILS.

Bochdalek hernia is a congenital defect of the diaphragm that usually presents in the neonatal period with life-threatening cardiorespiratory distress. It is rare for Bochdalek hernias to remain silent until adulthood. A 57-year-old woman presented with history of difficulty in swallowing, as well as retching. There was no history of abdominal or thoracic trauma. A chest x-ray showed the herniated stomach clearly. Computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen showed a herniated volvulus of the stomach, along with left posterolateral diaphragmatic hernia. The defect was repaired by a single incision laparoscopic technique. We present the first case of a posterolateral diaphragmatic hernia repaired by a reduced port laparoscopic technique in an adult, after an extensive literature search yielded no precedents. This report validates the feasibility of reduced port laparoscopic repair of Bochdalek hernia in an adult, and should be within the remit of the advanced laparoscopic surgeon.

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