Diaphragmatic hernia in infancy and childhood--20 years experience.

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia through the foramen of Bochdalek usually presents with severe respiratory symptoms soon after birth. Despite successful repair of the defect the mortality rate still remains high. This may be due to co-existing pulmonary hypoplasia with pulmonary hypertension and concomitant right-to-left shunting. In order to find factors that predispose for good or bad outcome as well as to compare different modalities of treatment being used at our hospital, this twenty-year retrospective study was undertaken. It is confirmed that the extent of pulmonary hypoplasia at birth rather than the promptness of surgical repair and the skill of intensive care appears to be the major mortality factor. Initial experiences from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) are promising.