Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2015 Feb 2:15:15.
doi: 10.1186/1471-2482-15-15.

Appendicitis within Morgagni Hernia and simultaneous Paraesophageal Hernia

Anna Bettini  1 , Jesus G Ulloa  2 , Hobart Harris  3
Affiliations
Review

Appendicitis within Morgagni Hernia and simultaneous Paraesophageal Hernia

Anna Bettini et al. BMC Surg. .

Abstract

Background: Morgagni hernia is a congenital diaphragmatic defect that rarely presents with symptomatic findings in adults. The presence of one diaphragmatic defect may decrease the occurrence of a separate diaphragmatic defect. Appendicitis may be a unique presentation of incarcerated bowel in a Morgagni defect.

Case presentation: Review of recent literature and presentation of a patient with Morgagni defect. Only five cases of simultaneous Morgagni hernia and paraesophageal hernia have been described in the English-language literature since 1958. Here, we report the first case of acute appendicitis within an incarcerated right Morgagni hernia in a 76-year-old patient who also had a paraesophageal hernia.

Conclusion: This case illustrates that there is no role for watchful waiting in the management of Morgagni Defects when diagnosed in adult patients.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Computed tomography scan obtained at our institution 8/2013, with arrow showing appendiceal inflammation within Morgagni defect. Computed tomography scan obtained at our institution 8/2013, with arrow showing appendiceal inflammation within Morgagni defect.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Computed tomography scan obtained 8/2013, sagittal view with arrows showing anterior Morgagni defect and posterior paraesophageal hernia. Computed tomography scan obtained 8/2013, sagittal view with arrows showing anterior Morgagni defect and posterior paraesophageal hernia.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Intraoperative Morgagni defect before (above) and after (below) primary repair. Defect opening anterior to liver with central retractor overlying xiphoid process. Intraoperative Morgagni defect before (above) and after (below) primary repair.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Lund RR, Crisler EC, Sammons BP, Gartenlaub C. Simultaneous occurrence of subcostosternal (Morgagni) hernia and hiatus hernia: report of a case. Radiology. 1958;4:561–3. doi: 10.1148/70.4.561. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Szentkereszty Z, Csáky G, Boland MG, Weisz R, Sasi-Szabo L, Gamal EM, et al. Laparoscopic treatment of simultaneously occurring Morgagni and paraesophageal hernias. J Laparoendosc AdvSurg Tech A. 2006;6:626–8. doi: 10.1089/lap.2006.16.626. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Eroğlu A, Kürkçüoğlu IC, Karaoğlanoğlu N, Yilmaz O. Combination of paraesophageal hernia and Morgagni hernia in an old patient. Dis Esophagus. 2003;2:151–3. - PubMed
    1. Ngaage DL, Young RA, Cowen ME. An unusual combination of diaphragmatic hernias in a patient presenting with the clinical features of restrictive pulmonary disease: report of a case. Surg Today. 2001;12:1079–81. doi: 10.1007/s595-001-8061-8. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Cokmez A, Durak E. Laparoscopic repair of Morgagni hernia and paraesophageal hernia on the same patient. Surg Endosc. 2003;4:660. - PubMed
Pre-publication history
    1. The pre-publication history for this paper can be accessed here: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2482/15/15/prepub