Intrapericardial Diaphragmatic Hernia after Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Using the Right Gastroepiploic Artery Graft: Report of a Case

Abstract

Surgeons should be aware of diaphragmatic hernia in obese patients who have undergone coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) using a gastroepiploic artery graft (GEA), even if the antegastric route is utilized.
We report a case of diaphragmatic hernia, which occurred 88 months after initial CABG. A 64-year-old obese man underwent surgical repair of a diaphragmatic hernia. At initial surgery, the diaphragm was incised vertically and re-sutured, leaving a route for GEA graft. Both the stomach and the lateral segment of the liver were dislocated in the pericardial space. The diaphragmatic defect was closed with a polytetrafluoroethylene patch.