[Diaphragmatic eventration. Our experience with 50 cases]

Diaphragmatic eventration is the abnormal elevation of the diaphragm as a result of paralysis, aplasia or atrophia of the muscular fibers. This is a diagnostic problem specially in the newborn. The objective of this report is present the clinical course and surgical management of 50 cases attended in the Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez. Of them, 56% were males; eight were newborns; five with previous surgery. The clinical course was variable; the landmark was the chest X-ray findings. There were operated 36 cases. The right diaphragm was the most frequent affected; the surgical management was with thoracotomy in the great majority of them. In 30 cases had good evolution two years after surgery.