A Case of Traumatic Diaphragmatic Hernia with Incarceration which Occurred on Interval Phase

Abstract

We report a case of trauma with delayed onset of traumatic diaphragmatic hernia with incarceration 6 days after the injury was sustained. A 90-year-old male fell while walking and bruised his left thorax. On day 6 after the injury, he lost his appetite, and on day 7, he began to experience acute difficulty in breathing. Chest X-ray and computed tomography led to the diagnosis of traumatic left diaphragmatic hernia, and emergency surgery was performed. The left diaphragm was ruptured near the central tendon, and most of the stomach, transverse colon, and greater omentum had herniated into the left thoracic cavity. The bowel loops were replaced in the abdominal cavity, no resection was required. The ruptured diaphragm was directly closed after a chest drainage tube was inserted through the intercostal space.