Surgical Management of Herniated Intrathoracic Gastric Perforation in Traumatic Diaphragmatic Rupture: An Unusual Two Rare Cases

Abstract

Gastric perforation into the thoracic cavity through a diaphragmatic rupture is rare but, when it occurs, patients present in severe distress, with mortality approaching 50%. We present our experience of two rare and unusual cases of traumatic diaphragmatic rupture from penetrating chest injury associated with herniated intrathoracic gastric perforation over a five-year period from January 2015 to December 2020 at the cardiovascular and thoracic surgery department of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, Ghana. Both patients underwent successful surgical repair through standard posterolateral thoracotomy with one having earlier negative exploratory laparotomy. The essence of the paper is to share and discuss the clinical presentation, diagnostic challenges, surgical management and the postoperative care of this very rare complication of traumatic diaphragmatic rupture.