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Congenital diaphragmatic hernia

Case contributed by: Dr Mohd Imran

Presentation:

Baby did not cry at birth.

Patient Data:

Age: Newborn

Gender: Male

Race: Other

From the case: Congenital diaphragmatic hernia

Modality: X-ray

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia

Chest X-ray (A.P. view) of 1 hr old newborn baby: herniation of bowel contents into left thoracic cavity through diaphragm with displacement of left lung and mediastinum towards right and resultant right lung collapse.

2 study questions available

Case Discussion:

Congenital diaphragmatic hernias occurs in 1 of every 2000-3000 live births and accounts for up to 8% of all major congenital abnormalities.

There are 3 main types of congenital diaphragmatic hernia:

posterolateral: Bochdalek hernia
anterior: Morgagni hernia
hiatus hernia

Left-sided Bochdalek hernias are most occurs accounting for approximately 85% of cases. Left-sided hernias, lacking the 'protective' effect of the liver may have herniation of both the small and large bowel and intraabdominal solid organs into the thoracic cavity.

When right-sided, only the liver and a portion of the large bowel tend to herniate. Bilateral hernias are uncommon and are usually fatal due to pulmonary hypoplasia.