Congenital Intercostal Liver Herniation: Report on two Neonates

Introduction

Congenital herniation of the liver or parts of the liver through the chest wall is an extremely rare entity. The exact etiology of congenital intercostal liver herniation (CILH) is unknown [1] [2]. Herniation of the liver or parts of the liver into the chest cavity is well known as a complication of congenital or post traumatic diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) [3] [4] [5]. We report on two unusual cases of right-sided CILH with an intact diaphragm. In both neonates the ipsilateral diaphragm was eventrated. Congenital diaphragmatic eventration (CDE) is defined as an abnormal elevation of an intact hemidiaphram [6]. Preoperative computer tomography (CT) allows correct identification of CILH with CDE.

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Correspondence