Introduction: Diaphragmatic rupture is a relatively rare injury with a reported incidence of 1 to 7% of all patients following significant blunt trauma. 4 In a review of 1589 patients, Asensio et al reported that 75% had left sided injuries, 23% had right-sided injuries, and 2% had bilateral injuries. 1 This preponderance for left-sided injuries is thought to be related to the protective effect...

BACKGROUND Traumatic diaphragmatic hernias are a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge due to variable presentations. Early repair is important because of risks of incarceration and strangulation of abdominal contents along with respiratory and cardiovascular compromise. Minimally invasive techniques have been useful for diagnosis and treatment of diaphragmatic hernias in both blunt and penetrat...

An adult male presented to the emergency department complaining of two days of exertional shortness of breath and progressive chest pain. He was afebrile with a blood pressure of 135/88 mmHg, heart rate of 105 beats/minute, respiratory rate of 22 breaths/minute, and a SaO2 of 94% on room air. There was no history of preceding trauma, surgery or known congenital defects. A chest radiograph demon...

2831 Correspondence To the Editor: Hydatid is an endemic zoonosis disease which brings great harm to the human. It is popular in developing countries especially in North Western China where animal husbandry is the primary industry. For liver hydatid, a few cases may be associated with diaphragmatic muscle invasion, and even invasion into the chest and the right lung, which become more difficult...

A 55-year-old man underwent surgical replacement of a mitral valve 10 years earlier. In a retrospective evaluation of a chest radiograph, the diaphragm was intact at the time of initial surgery. He was then admitted to our emergency room with a complaint of vertigo. During evaluation, he developed decreased consciousness. Ventricular fibrillation was diagnosed, and external massage and full car...

A 40 year old woman at 30 weeks of her eighth pregnancy presented with acute onset of dyspnoea and a large left pleural effusion after the onset of premature labour. A barium enema showed diaphragmatic rupture with intestinal contents in the thorax. Repair was accomplished through simultaneous left subcostal and thoracic incisions.