[Late manifestations of congenital diaphragmatic hernia]

The aim of the work was to evaluate clinical and anatomical features in children with late manifestations of inborn diaphragma hernia after the newborn period. The group included 11 boys and 7 girls at the age of two to 78 months during the time of diagnosis. The diaphragma hernia was diagnosed in 15 children during non-acute manifestations and in three children affected by emergencies. A posterior-lateral defect of diaphragma was on the left side in 11 children and in 7 children on the left. A hernia sac was found in 11 children. Organs protruding into thorax included intestinal loops in 12 children, liver in 7 subjects, spleen in 6 individuals, stomach in five and kidney, pancreas and omentum in one each. The defect in diaphragma was occluded by a primary plasty in 17 children, while a patch from Goretex was used once. An intestinal strangulation required resection of necrotic part of intestine, but the boy died one month later for a multi-organ failure despite long-term resuscitation care. The other children were cured up without complications. The inborn diaphragma hernia should be considered in differential diagnosis of every child with unusual respiratory or gastrointestinal symptoms and abnormal X-ray picture of thorax. Acute strangulation of inborn diaphragma hernia after the newborn period is a life-threatening disease, where the gastrointestinal obstruction is combined with respiratory and circulation failure.