Symptomatic Bochdalek hernia in an octogenarian.

We present a case of an 88-year-old man who presented with chest pain and shortness of breath. Chest radiography suggested the presence of a ruptured diaphragm, and on exploration a left Bochdalek defect with herniation of stomach and small bowel into the left pleural cavity was found. This was repaired and the patient eventually was discharged to a nursing facility. We believe this represents the oldest patient presentation of a symptomatic Bochdalek hernia.