Diaphragmatic hernia

Last revised by Mohammadtaghi Niknejad on 4 Mar 2024

Diaphragmatic hernias (alternative plural: herniae) are defined as either congenital or acquired defects in the diaphragm.

Demographics and etiology

Congenital

There are two main types of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH)s which are uncommon yet distinct entities that usually occur on the left side (80%) of the diaphragm 1,2:

Acquired

There are a variety of etiologies for acquired diaphragmatic hernias that usually occur in adulthood 1:

Depending on the location and size of the defect retroperitoneal or intra-abdominal organs and tissues can prolapse into thoracic cavity due to the negative intrathoracic pressure 1. However, the converse i.e. thoracic organ herniation into the abdominal cavity is very rare.

See also

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