Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia in an Adult


A 25-year-old man was referred to the emergency department owing to abnormal results on a chest radiograph obtained during a preemployment examination. He had no known medical history and no symptoms. His respiratory rate was 14 breaths per minute, and his oxygen saturation was 100% while he was breathing ambient air. On examination, there were decreased breath sounds at the base of the right lung. The abdomen was not tender. A radiograph of the chest showed a possible right pleural effusion, elevated right hemidiaphragm, and suspected translocation of the colon into the right upper quadrant of the abdomen (Panel A). Computed tomography of the chest with the use of contrast material revealed herniation of the right kidney, omentum, and small and large intestines into the right thoracic cavity through a large posterolateral diaphragmatic defect (Panel B shows the coronal view, and Panel C the sagittal view). There were no signs of bowel obstruction. A diagnosis of congenital diaphragmatic hernia due to a posterolateral diaphragmatic defect — also called a Bochdalek hernia — was made. Bochdalek hernia is typically diagnosed in infants and children, who present with respiratory distress. In rare cases, the hernia may remain asymptomatic until adulthood, at which time complications of bowel strangulation or obstruction may occur. The patient declined surgical repair of the diaphragmatic defect and was subsequently lost to follow-up.

Upper abdominal cytoreduction and thoracoscopy for advanced epithelial ovarian cancer: unanswered questions and the impact on treatment


Gynaecological oncologists, by conducting Phase II and III chemotherapy trials, have sought to improve survival in women with epithelial ovarian cancer. The greatest impact on survival has been the use of intraperitoneal chemotherapy in women who have had all visible disease removed. No change in drug regimen has had an impact on survival equivalent to that associated with complete cytoreduction or the use of intraperitoneal chemotherapy. Interestingly, these two treatment modalities (complete cytoreduction and intraperitoneal chemotherapy) have not been universally adopted. Most often it is the inability to achieve optimal cytoreduction in the upper abdomen that defines the limit of the cytoreductive effort, and ultimately the integration of intraperitoneal chemotherapy. The importance of identifying disease outside the abdominal cavity, along with achieving complete cytoreduction, is paramount, if the use of intraperitoneal chemotherapy is to be logically integrated in treatment algorithms for women with advanced-stage epithelial ovarian cancer. This report summarises pertinent literature on upper abdominal cytoreduction, discusses surgical techniques and introduces new data on women with epithelial ovarian cancer undergoing thoracoscopy, suggesting consideration of its incorporation into the surgical management of advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.

source:BJOG