Hepatopulmonary fusion in a newborn. An uncommon intraoperatory finding during right congenital diaphragmatic hernia surgery: case description and review of literature

Abstract

Hepatic pulmonary fusion is a rare malformation associated with right congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), often only discovered during surgical repair of the defect. Fourteen previous cases have been reported in the literature. We describe a case of a full term male newborn with prenatal ultrasound diagnosis of right CDH who underwent a thoracoscopy converted to a thoracotomy, due to this rare aforementioned intraoperative incidental finding. We reviewed the previous reported literature, especially focusing on the chosen surgical approach, concluding that an early and appropriate preoperative imaging investigation may be crucial for the best management of these kinds of patients.