title: ePTFE soft tissue patch reconstruction of hemidiaphragmatic agenesis with late clinical presentation.
abstract: In this paper we describe a case of a 71-year-old man affected by left hemidiaphragm agenesis who presented an extensive enterothorax after an asymptomatic history for many years. The patient had late development of severe constipation and occasional episodes of bowel obstruction and vomiting. The surgical correction of this congenital anomaly consisted of restoring the continuity of the diaphragmatic barrier with a 2-mm-thick expanded polytetrafluoroethylene soft tissue patch(Gore-Tex) after the herniated viscera have been replaced into the abdominal cavity. At 26 months' follow-up no recurrence has been observed. We would suggest that this is the first known elderly patient surgically treated and the eighth case reported in the literature. The use of a single-layer ePTFE mesh allows a good anatomical and functional repair. An overview of the literature is also reported.
authors.affiliation: Unit of General and Gastrointestinal Surgery, F. Magrassi-A. Lanzara Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine and Surgery, Second University of Naples, School of Medicine, Naples, Italy. landino.fei@tin.it
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fei
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Saviano
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Moccia
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: del Genio
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Trapani
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nunziale
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lombardi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cecchi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003964:Diaphragm / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000601:surgery*; D006548:Hernia, Diaphragmatic / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011138:Polytetrafluoroethylene; D013525:Surgical Instruments
chemical_list: D011138:Polytetrafluoroethylene