Sehgal Arvind, Chandra Jagdish, Singh Varinder, Dutta A K, Bagga Deepak
Department of Pediatrics and Pediatric Surgery, Kalawati Saran Children's Hospital and Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi, India.
Indian J Chest Dis Allied Sci. 2002 Jan-Mar;44(1):57-60.
Patients with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) usually present in the immediate neonatal period with respiratory distress. Presentation beyond the neonatal period has, however, been reported. We report a case of a 3-year-old child who presented with a six months history of respiratory symptoms and had been subjected to a variety of therapies like antibiotics, antitubercular medication and two attempts at putting an intercostal tube, as radiographs were suggestive of pleural effusion. This study highlights the importance of a high index of suspicion, relevance of thorough clinical examination and non-invasive diagnostic modalities along with an uncommon occurrence of asymptomatic spleenic herniation at such a later age. Spleenic herniation is rare outside neonatal period.