Injuries of diaphragm in children - diagnostic problems

Nine children with blunt trauma were hospitalized in our hospital from September 2000 to July 2005. The group consisted of 7 boys and 2 girls from 2 to 15 years old. The object of our article is to present problems in diagnosis of diaphragmatic injuries and compare the possibilities of diagnosis among different methods. We observed 3 children with trauma of diaphragm: in two of them the injury was on left side of diaphragm, and in one- on the right side. Results of our examinations allowed us only to suspect a trauma of the right side of diaphragm, and in one patient correct diagnosis was established based on autopsy. The left side diaphragmatic injury was diagnosed by means of the CT abdominal scan after the extubations. Although various diagnostic methods were applied, diaphragmatic injuries constitute a serious problem in the diagnosis. Chest X-ray is still an important part of diagnosis in patients with diaphragmatic trauma. (author)