title: Is this a mediastinal tumor? A case of Morgagni hernia complicated with intestinal incarceration mistaken for the mediastinal lipoma previously.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Morgagni's hernia is a congenital herniation of abdominal viscera into the thoracic cavity through a retrosternal diaphragmatic defect.
  
  
  METHODS
  We present a case of incarcerated Morgagni hernia in a 69-year-old woman. Three years previously, she had undertaken a video-assisted thoracoscopic resection (VATS) of a mediastinal mass, which had been mistaken for a lipoma. Following the primary repair of the hernia at emergency laparotomy, the patient was discharged home uneventfully.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Irrespective of the radiologically characteristic findings of our case, the possibility of Morgagni hernia had not been entertained at the first operation. Thorough exploration around the diaphragm at the first VATS operation could have revealed the Morgagni hernia, ultimately avoiding the hernia-related complication such as an incarceration.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Morgagni hernia as a differential diagnosis in case of anterior mediastinal mass should not be missed.
authors: Department of General Thoracic Surgery, Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital, Japan. Electronic address: tk.thoracic@gmail.com.
authors: Teruya
authors: T
authors: Komatsu
authors: Yutaka
authors: Y
authors: Takahashi
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