Late traumatic diaphragmatic hernia complicated by intrathoracic perforation and haemorrhagic gastric cyst: a rare combination.

Abstract

The authors describe the clinical and imagiologic challenges faced at the Emergency Room while observing a 48-year-old woman, submitted to a Nissen fundoplication 16 months earlier. She presented herself with a one-month total progressive dysphagia, epigastric pain and regurgitation. Intraoperative findings demonstrated an intraabdominal fundoplication, closure of diaphragmatic crura and part of the gastric greater curvature and body herniated through a small posterior defect on the diaphragm, with a gigantic serosal cystic mass and associated perforation. Data from posterior clinical investigation shows a traffic accident 34 years ago. Although described before, the association of late traumatic diaphragmatic hernia and gastric intrathoracic perforation is rare (< 2.5%) and difficult to diagnose. A revision of the literature is performed concerning the pathophysiologic mechanisms of late diaphragmatic rupture, its clinical presentation and diagnosis, as for Nissen fundoplication complications, its prevention and management.