[A case of intrathoracic colon perforation due to adult Bochdalek hernia]

Abstract

The patient, a 70-year-old man, diagnosed as having left pneumothorax and hydrothorax, was admitted and had a thoracic drain inserted. The evacuation of stool was noted from 3 days after insertion. With the abscess in the left thoracic cavity shown on emergency CT, a diagnosis of perforation of the digestive tract in the left thoracic cavity was made and emergency operation was performed. On the basis of the intraoperative findings, the case was diagnosed as adult Bochdalek hernia with intrathoracic colon perforation, and repair of hernia and colostomy were done by laparotomy and thoracotomy. However, the patient died of DIC and sepsis 5 days after operation. Two cases of adult Bochdalek hernia complicated with spontaneous pneumothorax have hitherto been report. However, there has been no reported case which had adult Bochdalek hernia complicated with pneumothorax considered due to intrathoracic colon perforation as in this case. So this case was considered very rare and worthy of reporting.