Radiol Case Rep. 2019 Aug 16;14(10):1288-1292. doi: 10.1016/j.radcr.2019.07.016. eCollection 2019 Oct.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31462953

Avoiding misdiagnosis in postnatal presentation of congenital diaphragmatic hernia: A report of two cases and review of radiologic features.

Kumbhar S¹, Siddiqui S², Thakrar P¹.

Author information

1Department of Pediatric Radiology, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, 9000 W. Wisconsin Ave., MS-721 Milwaukee, WI 53226 USA.2Department of Pediatric Surgery, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, 9000 W. Wisconsin Ave., C-320, Milwaukee, WI 53226 USA.

Abstract

Diagnosis of a congenital diaphragmatic hernia after the first day of life can be challenging. The clinical symptoms are often nonspecific, and initial radiographic findings in these patients may mimic many other acute chest conditions, including pneumonia, pleural effusion, and pneumothorax. In turn, diagnostic uncertainty may expose the patient to unnecessary and even potentially harmful interventions such as thoracostomy tube placement. As such, it is imperative that radiologists remain aware of this uncommon entity and recognize imaging findings which may provide clues to its diagnosis.

KEYWORDS:

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia; Late presentation; MisdiagnosisPMID: 31462953 PMCID: PMC6706528 DOI: 10.1016/j.radcr.2019.07.016Free PMC Article