title: Sudden death due to nontraumatic diaphragmatic hernia in an adult.
abstract: Sudden death in an adult due to an undiagnosed congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a very rare occurrence. The majority of adults who experience discomfort related to their condition have experienced some kind of trauma prior to symptom manifestation; however, there can be the cases that are exceptions to a medical trend. In the following, we present a case of an adult female who died from an undiagnosed congenital diaphragmatic hernia without any prior traumatic event or significant medical history. In these situations, early diagnosis and rapid surgical intervention are necessary for successful treatment of affected individuals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Examiner, Honolulu, HI 96817, USA. kdealwis@honolulu.gov
authors.forename: Kanthi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: DeAlwis
authors.forename: Erin M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Mitsunaga
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000209:etiology; D000328:Adult; D003645:Death, Sudden / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D006529:Hepatomegaly / Q000473:pathology; D006548:Hernia, Diaphragmatic / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology*; D065630:Hernias, Diaphragmatic, Congenital; D006801:Humans; D009325:Nausea / Q000209:etiology; D001261:Pulmonary Atelectasis / Q000473:pathology; D011654:Pulmonary Edema / Q000473:pathology; D014839:Vomiting / Q000209:etiology