Bochdalek hernia with concomitant partial situs inversus in an adult

Abstract

We report the case of 44-year-old woman with a left-sided Bochdalek hernia (BH) with concomitant partial situs inversus. The patient was presented from the outpatient clinic with lower chest discomfort. She had suffered from abdominal pain for one year, with no history of trauma, previous surgery, or extreme physical exertion. Chest radiograph revealed a large left-sided BH. The patient underwent thoracotomy. Intestinal organs, containing bowel, small intestine, caecum, and appendix were seen in the left hemithorax. Because of the failure to reduce the intestinal organs into the peritoneal cavity, laparotomy was performed. The right side of the abdominal cavity was empty. In conclusion, partial situs inversus was diagnosed. The diaphragmatic defect was repaired with non-absorbable sutures via laparotomy, and with a prolene mesh via thoracotomy. Bochdalek hernia with partial situs inversus is a rare clinical entity with none reported in medical literature.
(Folia Morphol 2010; 69, 2: 119-122)