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Ann Thorac Surg 1986;42:158-162
© 1986 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

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Articles

Blunt and Penetrating Diaphragmatic Injuries with or without Herniation of Organs into the Chest

Joseph B. Whitehead Department of Surgery, Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Division, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA

^* Address reprint requests to Dr. Symbas, 69 Butler St, SE, Atlanta, GA 30303

From 1970 to 1984, 189 patients with penetrating injury and 20 with blunt injury were treated at Grady Memorial Hospital. One hundred eighty-five patients with penetrating injury (Group 1) and 9 with blunt injury (Group 2) required emergency laparotomy. In the remaining 15 patients (Group 3), the diagnosis of diaphragmatic injury was delayed from 18 hours to 15 years (mean, 8 months) after injury.

The vast majority of the Group 1 and all Group 2 patients had injury to other organs, and the diagnosis of the diaphragmatic injury was made in almost all of them during the emergency laparotomy. The diagnosis in Group 3 patients was made by chest roentgenogram alone or with an upper gastrointestinal series or barium enema. All diaphragmatic injuries were repaired primarily except one which was repaired with Prolene mesh. Four of the Group 1 patients died, a mortality of 2.2%, and 2 of the Group 2 patients died, a mortality of 22.2%. All Group 3 patients recovered.

This study suggests that diaphragmatic injury should be suspected in all patients with penetrating as well as blunt injury of the chest and abdomen and particularly of the epigastrium and lower chest. The presence of such an injury should be excluded before the termination of the exploratory procedure. Also, diaphragmatic injury should be suspected in patients with roentgenographic abnormalities of the diaphragm or lower lung field following trauma. The presence of diaphragmatic injury in such patients should be excluded with appropriate diagnostic studies to protect the patient from its late complications.

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