Hernia Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Hernia, including details on hiatal, inguinal, umbilical, abdominal, treatment.

Bilateral congenital diaphragmatic hernia with absent pleura and pericardium.

St Peter SD, Shah SR, Little DC, Calkins CM, Sharp RJ, Ostlie DJ

Department of Pediatric Surgery, The Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri 64108, USA.

BACKGROUND: Bilateral congenital diaphragmatic hernia is a rare form of diaphragmatic hernia. Independently, pericardial defects are an extremely rare phenomenon. In the case presented, we provide the first complete description of an infant with bilateral congenital diaphragmatic hernia with complete agenesis of the pericardium and inferior parietal pleura. CASE: A male infant was born at 38 weeks of gestation with a prenatal diagnosis of left-sided congenital diaphragmatic hernia. After 1 week of aggressive management, the patient was taken to the operating room for repair. Intraoperatively, the patient was found to have absence of the diaphragm bilaterally, no pleura inferiorly, and no pericardium. A biological mesh was used to construct a diaphragm. At 6 months of age, the patient is growing normally, requiring only supplemental oxygen without pressure support. CONCLUSIONS: Embryologically, this anomaly represents complete lack of development of the pleurocardial folds, pleuroperitoneal folds, and transverse septum, which is previously unreported.

Published 20 September 2005 in Birth Defects Res A Clin Mol Teratol, 73(9): 624-7.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 Hernia Research Today. All Rights Reserved.