Presentation
Motor vehicle collision.
Patient Data
Multiple loops of bowel in the left chest with rightward displacement of the mediastinum suspicious for left diaphragm rupture.
Acute displaced fractures of the right anterolateral third through eighth ribs. Large defect in the left hemidiaphragm with herniation of the stomach, pancreatic tail, splenic flexure of the colon and multiple small bowel loops into the left hemithorax.
Case Discussion
The left diaphragm is more commonly injured than the right. Displacement of bowel into the chest seen on a plain radiograph is highly suspicious for diaphragm rupture: the diagnosis is best confirmed with CT reformats in the coronal/sagittal planes.