Diagnosis and surgical management of diaphragmatic agenesis in an adult: Report of a case.

Unilateral diaphragmatic agenesis is a rare finding in adult patients. We herein present the case of a 24-year-old male patient who was diagnosed and surgically treated for the complete absence of the left hemidiaphragm. His symptoms included acute respiratory distress, ipsilateral absence of breath sounds, and vague abdominal discomfort. A neodiaphragm was created via a left thoracotomy using synthetic material. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient is in satisfactory condition 9 months after the operation. This is only the seventh known case of unilateral diaphragmatic agenesis reported in the literature.