Thoracoscopic Plication for Diaphragmatic Eventration in a 3-Month-Old Infant

Abstract

A 3-month-old male presented with a 2-month history of intermittent shortness of breath with chest retractions and wheezing which worsened with feeding. The patient was diagnosed with bronchiolitis during one of several hospital admissions and treated with bronchodilators without success. On the third hospitalization, the patient was diagnosed with right-sided diaphragmatic eventration. Surgical intervention consisted of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) with plication of the right diaphragm. The patient was discharged on the 2nd postoperative day. At the clinical visit 2 weeks postoperatively, the patient's respiratory symptoms as well as interrupted feeding secondary to shortness of breath had resolved. The chest X‐ray revealed a significant improvement in the position of the right diaphragm. VATS with diaphragmatic plication is a viable approach for treating diaphragmatic eventration during infancy. To our knowledge, this 3-month-old male is the youngest patient reported to have undergone plication via VATS for diaphragmatic eventration.

Key words

eventration of diaphragm - thoracoscopic plication of diaphragm - thoracoscopy - minimally invasive surgery - eventration children

References

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