Delayed presentation of traumatic left-sided diaphragmatic avulsion. A case report.
We describe the case of a 35-year-old man who had suffered a severe multitrauma with blunt thoracic injury, left scapula and humerus fractures 5 years earlier. At the time of the trauma, a diaphragmatic lesion went unnoticed. Five years later, the patient had a 24-h history of increasingly severe abdominal pain with repeated vomiting. Helical CT showed a portion of the left hemidiaphragm avulsed from its insertions on the ribs with large-bowel loop obstruction herniated in the left hemithorax. The preoperative CT diagnosis was confirmed by surgery: reduction of the hernia and reinsertion of the hemidiaphragm to the lumbocostal arch were performed.
Scaglione
M
M
Department of Radiology at Cardarelli Hospital, Naples, Italy.
Grassi
R
R
Pinto
A
A
Ragozzino
A
A
Romano
S
S
Pinto
F
F
D000328:Adult; D003108:Colonic Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006549:Hernia, Diaphragmatic, Traumatic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D007415:Intestinal Obstruction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D009104:Multiple Trauma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D013898:Thoracic Injuries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014949:Wounds, Nonpenetrating / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*