Spontaneous diaphragmatic rupture after vomiting: rapid diagnosis on multiplanar reformatted multidetector CT

Abstract

Spontaneous rupture of the diaphragm is an extremely rare condition. We report a case of spontaneous rupture of the diaphragm that was caused by violent vomiting and immediately diagnosed by the imaging features before the operation. If there is a mass with an air-fluid level adjacent to the diaphragm on the chest radiograph in a patient who presents with sudden chest pain after violent vomiting, spontaneous rupture of the diaphragm should be suspected and multidetector CT with multiplanar reformatted images should be immediately performed.