While a diaphragmatic rupture commonly results from trauma to the abdomen and chest, a spontaneous diaphragmatic rupture is very rare. A 68-year-old male presented with chest pain that had originated while doing farm work in a squatting position. Images revealed a 5 cm defect of the left diaphragmatic dome, and the entire stomach was displaced into the thorax. The diaphragmatic defect was round and half had a well-demarcated margin. The remaining fragile tissue was completely excised and was closed primarily. The patient was uneventfully discharged and resumed with a normal diet 10 days after the operation.
Su Wan Kim, Seogjae Lee. Massive spontaneous diaphragmatic rupture induced by a squatting position. The Korean journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery. 2013 Jun;46(3):230-3
PMID: 23772415
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