Teruya Komatsu1, Yutaka Takahashi. 1. Department of General Thoracic Surgery, Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital, Japan. Electronic address: tk.thoracic@gmail.com.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Morgagni's hernia is a congenital herniation of abdominal viscera into the thoracic cavity through a retrosternal diaphragmatic defect. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We present a case of incarcerated Morgagni hernia in a 69-year-old woman. Three years previously, she had undertaken a video-assisted thoracoscopic resection (VATS) of a mediastinal mass, which had been mistaken for a lipoma. Following the primary repair of the hernia at emergency laparotomy, the patient was discharged home uneventfully. DISCUSSION: Irrespective of the radiologically characteristic findings of our case, the possibility of Morgagni hernia had not been entertained at the first operation. Thorough exploration around the diaphragm at the first VATS operation could have revealed the Morgagni hernia, ultimately avoiding the hernia-related complication such as an incarceration. CONCLUSION: Morgagni hernia as a differential diagnosis in case of anterior mediastinal mass should not be missed.
INTRODUCTION: Morgagni's hernia is a congenital herniation of abdominal viscera into the thoracic cavity through a retrosternal diaphragmatic defect. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We present a case of incarcerated Morgagni hernia in a 69-year-old woman. Three years previously, she had undertaken a video-assisted thoracoscopic resection (VATS) of a mediastinal mass, which had been mistaken for a lipoma. Following the primary repair of the hernia at emergency laparotomy, the patient was discharged home uneventfully. DISCUSSION: Irrespective of the radiologically characteristic findings of our case, the possibility of Morgagni hernia had not been entertained at the first operation. Thorough exploration around the diaphragm at the first VATS operation could have revealed the Morgagni hernia, ultimately avoiding the hernia-related complication such as an incarceration. CONCLUSION: Morgagni hernia as a differential diagnosis in case of anterior mediastinal mass should not be missed.
Authors: Sofia Marques Santos; Eunice Oliveira; Nuno Ferreira Monteiro; Maria Manuela Soares; Alberto Mello E Silva Journal: Eur J Case Rep Intern Med Date: 2015-12-21