Surgical treatment of a large eventration of the left diaphragm

Total eventration of the left diaphragm is a rare condition in adults. It is now generally accepted that surgery is indicated only in cases of distinct complaints involving abdominal or thoracic organs which can be related to this pathological condition. The accepted routine surgical procedure for treatment of the eventration is plication of the diaphragm without incision or excision of the pathologically changed part of the diaphragm. In rare cases, reinforcement of the very thin membrane with some foreign material may be necessary. We describe an adult patient with extensive eventration and severe symptoms in whom we used a special technique for restoration of the diaphragm with very good results.