Traumatic Diaphragmatic Hernia

외상성 횡경막 허니아

The records of 10 patients with traumatic diaphragmatic hernia seen from November 1977 through July 1987 were reviewed. All the patients had a transdiaphragmatic evisceration of abdominal contents into the thorax. We treated 7 male and 3 female patients ranging in age from 3 to 62 years. In 8 patients, diaphragmatic hernia followed blunt trauma and in 2 patients, stab wounds to the chest. The herniation occurred on the right side in 3 patients and on the left side in 7. All the patients sustained additional injuries: rib fractures [7 patients], additional limb, pelvic and vertebral fractures [6], closed head injury [2], lung laceration [1], liver laceration [1], renal contusion [1], ureteral rupture [1], and splenic rupture [1]. Organs herniated through the diaphragmatic rent included the omentum [6 patients], stomach [4], liver [4], colon [3], small intestine [1], and spleen [1]. For right-sided injuries, the liver was herniated in all 3 patients and the colon, in 1. in the initial or latent phase, dyspnea, diminished breath sounds, bowel sounds in the chest were noted in 4 patients, and in the obstructive phase, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain were found in all 3 patients. Two patients had a diagnostic chest radiograph with findings of bowel gas patterns, and an additional 8 had abnormal but nondiagnostic studies. Hemothorax, pleural effusion or abnormal diaphragmatic contour were common abnormal findings. Three patients were operated on during the initial or acute phase [immediately after injury], 4 patients were operated on during the latent or intermediate phase [3 to 210 days], and 3 patients were operated on during the obstructive phase [10 to 290 days]. Six patients underwent thoracotomy, 2 required thoracoabdominal incision, and 2 had combined thoracotomy and laparotomy. Primary suture was used to repair the diaphragmatic hernia in 9 cases. One patient required plastic repair by a Teflon felt. Empyema was the main complication in 2 patients. In 1 patient, the empyema was treated by closed thoracostomy and in 1, by decortication and open drainage. There were no deaths.