Chilaiditi's syndrome: what should every surgeon know?

Demetrius Chilaiditi first described an incidental radiological finding of hepatodiaphragmatic interposition of bowel in 1910. The condition could be mistaken for pneumoperitoneum. This radiographic entity, known as Chilaiditi's sign, is found in asymptomatic patients and must be distinguished from Chilaiditi's syndrome, which produces symptomatology associated with the bowel interposition. A review of the literature yielded 27 published cases of Chilaiditi's syndrome. These cases were compiled to evaluate various aspects of this rare but important entity.