Radionuclide diagnosis of diaphragmatic rupture with hepatic herniation

Seven surgically proven cases of a traumatic rupture of the right hemidiaphragm with a hepatic herniation were preoperatively diagnosed by radionuclide liver-spleen imagings, and they were retrospectively analyzed. All injuries resulted from blunt traumatic injury including automobile accidents, and there were associated pelvic and rib fractures in five cases. All patients developed some degree of dyspnea in the relatively immediate phase. All chest radiographs showed an apparent elevation of right hemidiaphragm. Radionuclide liver-spleen imaging with 99mTc sulfur colloid characteristically demonstrated a distortion of liver configuration with superior and posterior displacement of the right lobe. Four patients had a large tear in the central tendon of the right hemidiaphragm, and none had a tear in the anterior part or in left lobe of the liver. The differential diagnosis of elevated right hemidiaphragm is briefly discussed. It is concluded that the correct preoperative diagnosis of the diaphragmatic rupture with liver hernia could be made with an awareness of this condition following trauma and radionuclide liver-spleen imaging.