From January 1989 to February 1996, 50 patients with a traumatic diaphragmatic rupture were treated at the Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine. There were 40 male and 10 female patients.
The ages ranged from 2 to 80 years, with peak incidence in third decades. Thirty-nine cases had blunt trauma(traffic accident 29, falls down 7, others 3), and 11 cases had penetrating injuries (stab injury 9, gun shot 1, broken glass 1).
The most common symptoms were dyspnea (76%), chest pain(58%), and abdominal pain(52%). In blunt trauma, the rupture was was located in the left in 30 cases, right in 9 cases and in penetrating trauma, the rupture was located in the left in 8
cases
and
in the right in 3 cases. Eighteen cases underwent thoracotomy alone, 29 cases underwent laparotomy only and 3 cases and combined thoracotomy and laparotomy.
The postoperative mortality occurred in 6% (3 cases), and the cause of death were septic shock (1), intracranial hemorrhage(1), and respiratory failure(1).
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