title: Diaphragmatic hernia in a cat mimicking a pulmonary mass.
abstract: A seven-year-old castrated British shorthair cross cat was presented for coughing of five-weeks duration. Thoracic radiographs and an unguided bronchoalveolar lavage showed changes consistent with inflammatory airway disease. In addition, a soft tissue density was evident in the thoracic films between the heart and the diaphragm. Exploratory thoracotomy demonstrated a diaphragmatic hernia, probably congenital in origin, with incarceration of a portion of the hepatic parenchyma. The herniated portion of liver was resected surgically and the defect in the diaphragm closed. The cat was given a 10-day course of doxycycline post-operatively and the cough did not recur subsequently. In retrospect, the hernia was potentially an incidental problem, the cat's coughing being attributable to inflammatory airway disease.
authors.affiliation: University Veterinary Centre Sydney, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Building B10, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. joannaw@vetc.usyd.edu.au
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: P L C
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Tisdall
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Norris
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Malik
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018893:Bronchoalveolar Lavage / Q000662:veterinary; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D002415:Cats; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006548:Hernia, Diaphragmatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000662:veterinary*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000662:veterinary; D008297:Male; D011859:Radiography; D013908:Thoracotomy / Q000662:veterinary