The patient is baby N.Q. C. (17 months old). After birth, the child developed mentally and exercised normally but suffered from moderate-level malnutrition. According to Mr. T. - the patient's father, the family has taken the child to private clinics near the house many times to treat prolonged coughing. However, the symptoms did not subside. When the child showed additional signs of breathing weakness, the family decided to take the baby to Children's Hospital 2 for in-depth examination.
At Respiratory Department 1, doctors prescribed imaging explorations. Chest X-ray results showed that many intestines had moved up to the left chest cavity, compressing the lung parenchyma and pushing the heart and mediastinum to the right.
According to BS.CK2 Nguyen Hoang Phong - Head of Respiratory Department 1, Children's Hospital 2 HCMC, diaphragmatic hernia is a congenital defect that occurs due to diaphragmatic defects, causing organs in the abdominal cavity such as the stomach, intestines, liver or spleen to move up to the chest cavity, causing compression of the lungs and heart.
Most cases are detected immediately after birth due to severe respiratory failure or digestive dysfunction. However, late diaphragmatic hernia, especially on the left side as in the case of baby C., is very rare and easily overlooked because the symptoms are not typical," said Dr. Phong.
After determining the diagnosis, Respiratory Department 1 consulted with the General Surgery Department to perform surgery to bring the intestinal loops back to the abdominal cavity and stitch the left diaphragm. Up to now, the child's health has recovered well.
According to BS.CK2 Le Thi Thanh Thao - Deputy Head of Respiratory Department 1, Children's Hospital 2, prolonged cough in young children is often thought of as common respiratory diseases such as upper respiratory infections or bronchitis. However, in some rare cases, the cause may stem from congenital defects and is very easily overlooked.
Doctors say that late peripheral hernia is often manifested by non-specific symptoms such as prolonged cough, wheezing, shortness of breath or recurrent pneumonia due to lung compression. Children may also eat poorly, slow to gain weight, or be malnourished.
If not detected and treated promptly, the herniated organs are at risk of suffocation, leading to intestinal necrosis or compression of the heart and lungs, causing acute respiratory failure and life-threatening.
Doctors recommend that when children cough for a long time or relapse many times, treatment is not effective, especially accompanied by shortness of breath, slow weight gain or malnutrition, parents should take children to the hospital for comprehensive examination and necessary tests. Early diagnosis will help timely treatment and limit dangerous complications.
