From the Department of Pedialric Surgery. Greal Ormond Street HospiJaJ for Sick Children. London. England.
Abstract: (5224 Views)
Eventration of the diaphragm is a condition characterized by an attenuated but
otherwise intact diaphragm.
Twenty patients (age range: 2 days to 11 years) were treated for eventration
of the diaphragm during a ten year period (19 85-1995). There were 11 girls and 9
boys with a mean gestational age of 37 weeks. 14 patients were born with cephalic
presentation, 3 patients with breech delivery and 3 patients by caesarean section.
In 5 cases with difficult delivery, forceps were used. Mean birth weight of patients
was 2510 gm (range 900 to 3500 g). The most common clinical manifestations of
these patients were respiratory distress (16 cases) and failure to thrive (14 cases
below 3rd percentile).
50% of patients (10 cases) had from 1 to 5 associated anomalies. Cardiac
anomalies were the most common (n= 5), followed by respiratory system anomalies
(n= 4), malrotation (n= 3), and hiatal hernia (n= 2). All patients had an elevated
diaphragm in the chest radiograph (n= 20), but only some had paradoxical
movement in fluoroscopic studies (n= 5). In 8 patients GI contrast studies were
performed and three patients were found to have malrotation.
15 patients had right, 3 patients left, and two patients bilateral diaphragmatic
eventration. 18 patients underwent operation (plication), while two patients with
small and asymptomatic eventration were not operated. Operative repair was
performed with no mortality. Hospital stay was 14.5 days. 12/20 patients had come
for follow-up and they were evaluated from 5 months to 10 years. All showed good
results from diaphragmatic plication without respiratory distress or infection and
gained weight from below the 3rd percentile to above the 10th percentile. Surgical
correction is strongly recommended in patients with eventration of the diaphragm
and failure to thrive or other clinical manifestations.
Type of Study:
Original Research |
Subject:
Pediatric