Natural course of penetrating diaphragmatic injury: an experimental study in rats.

There are controversies about the fate of penetrating diaphragmatic injuries not diagnosed and treated. The objective was to evaluate the evolution of untreated diaphragmatic injury on an experimental model. Fifty-six rats suffered diaphragmatic injuries. Two groups were submitted to sternotomy and laparotomy--A (at 11-60 days) and B (at 120-160 days)--and all animals underwent diaphragm anatomopathologic analysis. The macroscopic results revealed diaphragmatic hernia in five animals (8.9%). Our results showed that histologic response was not the factor for this occurrence. We conclude that spontaneous healing of diaphragmatic injury occurs naturally.