Eventration of diaphragm: A case report

Abstract

Background Eventration of diaphragm is uncommon in adults and is caused by paralysis, aplasia or atrophy of the diaphragm's muscular fibers, which causes the abnormal elevation of the diaphragm and abdominal organs to protrude into the chest. Eventration of diaphragm is usually diagnosed by the elevation of left hemi-diaphragm in the plain X-ray or chest CT. Though the incidence of diaphragm eventration is low and relatively rare, it can result in serious ventilation dysfunction and digestive system symptoms. Case summary: This paper describes a 57-year-old male patient with eventration of diaphragm who presented as pulmonary heart disease (PHD). He had severe symptoms presenting with the lower-extremity pitting edema a year before, then he alleviated his discomfort by taking diuretics self-administered and did not get regular therapy. However, the patient's clinical symptomscontinued to worsen and developed chest tightness, shortness of breath and lower-extremity edema again without effective and systematic treatment. Clinical manifestations, laboratory tests and imaging exams of the patients were evaluated by general practitioners, then they made the diagnosis of PHD and eventration of diaphragm. Finally, with the assistance of a professor of thoracic surgery, diaphragmatic plication was implemented which improved the symptoms of functional status and shortness of breath. Conclusion: This case report and literature review investigated the clinical symptoms of eventration of diaphragm presenting with heart failure, which aims to help provide ideas for the clinical treatment of eventration of diaphragm.