| Abstract |
Congenital diaphragmatic hernia occurs when the diaphragm fails to fuse properly during fetal development, allowing the abdominal organs to move up into the chest cavity. The diagnosis can be made in the prenatal period, however, in developing countries the diagnosis in usually delayed until respiratory distress manifests, shortly after birth. We present a full term baby-boy from an uneventful pregnancy, which manifested signs of respiratory distress two hours after birth. The neonate was transferred in the neonatal intensive care unit and immediately intubated. Chest x-ray confirmed the left side diaphragmatic hernia diagnosis. Subcostal laparotomy was performed, abdominal organs (colon, stomach, intestines and spleen) were successfully restored from the thoracic cavity and the diaphragmatic defect was closed. The general condition began to improve, and on the 14th day of hospitalization, infant was discharged at home in a general good condition. Although, congenital diaphragmatic hernia in developed countries is usually diagnosed at birth, it still represents a challenge for developing countries in the absence of an antenatal screening program. The difficulties in diagnosing and managing rare congenital diseases in developing countries should highlight the need for a better organized antenatal screening program.
KEYWORDS: Congenital diaphragmatic hernia, x-ray, neonate, respiratory distress, antenatal screening |
