title: Laparoscopic management of a late-diagnosed major diaphragmatic rupture.
abstract: A 20-year-old male patient was admitted to our emergency ward because of acute respiratory insufficiency following gastroscopy 2 years after a car accident. The chest radiograph showed migration of the stomach into the left hemithorax. A large diaphragmatic hernia was diagnosed and repaired laparoscopically using slowly resorbable sutures and patches. Diaphragmatic rupture secondary to blunt thoracic or abdominal trauma is a rare injury, whose diagnosis may be delayed. The majority of these defects are diagnosed during laparotomy performed for other major abdominal lesions. If diaphragmatic rupture is suspected, and no lesion of a parenchymatous organ has been diagnosed, there is a role for diagnostic laparoscopy. In the absence of other abdominal injuries, diaphragmatic rupture can be repaired by minimal-access surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Germany. Matthias.Pross@medizin.uni-magdeburg.de
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pross
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Manger
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mirow
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wolff
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lippert
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003964:Diaphragm / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy; D008297:Male; D012421:Rupture; D013997:Time Factors; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis