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Abstract
A 70-year-old asthmatic man presented with a history of chronic intermittent left-sided chest pains and a bulge-like deformity of his chest which became more prominent with expiration. He sustained a traumatic fall 2 years prior whereby he fractured his right humerus at the surgical neck, requiring total arthroplasty. Examination and CT imaging of the thorax revealed a left costal arch fracture with hemidiaphragm rupture and associated transperitoneal fat herniation. He underwent left thoracolaparotomy with costal arch and diaphragmatic hernia repair. He was discharged 48 hours postoperatively and is satisfied with good outcomes under initial follow-up. This case report highlights the surgical management of a condition that usually presents late after significant trauma and may progress to visceral strangulation if untreated.
- cardiothoracic surgery
- surgery
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Footnotes
Contributors I am the sole author of this work.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Case reports provide a valuable learning resource for the scientific community and can indicate areas of interest for future research. They should not be used in isolation to guide treatment choices or public health policy.
Competing interests None declared.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.