Diaphragmatic hernia a rare cause of acute pancreatitis: Case report

Abstract

Many complications are known to occur in association with a diaphragmatic hernia. Acute pancreatitis occurring in this situation is very rare. In this paper, we report a case and describe the radiographic features of this complication. We report an unusual case of acute pancreatitis complicating a neglected post-traumatic diaphragmatic hernia in a 30-year-old male. This patient had a history of an abdominal trauma 5 years ago, and arrived at the emergency room with epigastria and left chest pain and vomiting. Serum lipase was elevated. Acute pancreatitis could be considered as an exceptional complication of diaphragmatic hernia. It is a serious diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. The fundamental roles of CT are to determine the diaphragmatic defect, the abdominal content involving, the Balthazar scoring of pancreatitis, and the presence of local complications. Even if a conservative approach is preferred when facing a diagnosis of pancreatitis, timing of surgery should be carefully considered.

Keywords

• Diaphragmatic
• Herniation
• Acute pancreatitis
• CT