Right ventricle collapse secondary to hepatothorax caused by diaphragm rupture due to blunt trauma

Abstract

Traumatic diaphragm ruptures occur frequently after motor vehicle accidents through penetrating traumas. In 90% of the patients, traumatic diaphragm rupture commonly coexists with other organ injuries. Posteroanterior chest x-ray, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, upper gastrointestinal system contrast-enhanced examinations, and thoraxoscopy/laparoscopy are several modalities which can be used for diagnosing traumatic diaphragm rupture in clinical practice. A case of right ventricle collapse secondary to hepatothorax caused by diaphragm rupture was presented in this study. Patient was diagnosed by posteroanterior chest x-ray and computed tomography. Emergency surgery was planned due to hemodynamic instability. When mechanical pressure on the right ventricle disappeared, hemodynamic improvement was observed simultaneously.