Rare intercostal herniation of abdominal organs in COPD patient managed non-operatively

Nontraumatic intercostal and intrathoracic herniation of intra-abdominal organs is rare and has been sparsely reported in the literature. They are defined as protrusion of intra-abdominal contents through defects in the chest wall. The cases reported in the literature mostly involved herniation of intra-abdominal contents and the lungs through the defect. In this case report, we describe a case of intra-abdominal contents herniation through an intercostal defect with subsequent improvement in patient's respiratory status related to the hernia.