Diaphragm is a muscular layer on either side of the heart and it separates the two chest cavities from abdominal cavity. It can sometimes be injured during accidents or due to stab or gunshot injuries. In these cases, a whole is formed through which the intestines pass from abdomen into the chest. These progresses slowly over a period of time and more and more intestines go into the chest. These intestines press on the lungs and the heart causing breathing difficulty to the patient. Sometimes the intestines can twist and become dead, creating a life-threatening emergency. Therefore, once diagnosed, diaphragmatic hernia always needs to treated immediately. The treatment consists of bringing the intestines back into the abdomen, stitching the whole in the diaphragm and reinforcing it with an artificial mesh. It is usually done by key-hole method (laparoscopy) these days.

In this disease, one side of diaphragm becomes weak as a whole and moves up into the chest, pressing on the lung and the heart. These patients also experience breathlessness. Like diaphragmatic hernia, it needs fixation by stitching and mesh reinforcement. Most of the times, it can be done by key-hole method (laparoscopic) with or without the assistance of a robot.