title: Diaphragmatic injury.
abstract: From Feb. 1976 to Oct. 1990, 43 patients with diaphragmatic injuries were admitted to Kaohsiung Medical College Hospital. Blunt injuries occurred in 27 cases and penetrating injuries in 16 cases. The diagnosis is usually made by chest roentgenogram, chest CT, or during operations for other associated injuries. Delayed diagnoses were noted in 7 cases in blunt injury group and 2 cases in penetrating injury group. Isolated diaphragm injury was found in only 2 patients. The perforated diaphragm were almost repaired by two layers of continuous suture. None of them needed prosthetic mesh for reconstruction and no recurrence of hernia was found. In the blunt injury group, these patients usually combined with rib or long bone fractures, major intracranial injury, liver or spleen lacerations and intestinal perforations; while in the penetrating injury group, liver lacerations and stomach perforations were the most common associated injuries. Two deaths were noted in each group and the associated injury were accounted for these deaths.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Kaohsiung Medical College, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.forename: E L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Kao
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003964:Diaphragm / Q000293:injuries*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014949:Wounds, Nonpenetrating / Q000150:complications; D014950:Wounds, Penetrating / Q000150:complications