RIGHT DIAPHRAGMATIC EVENTRATION SIMULATING A CONGENITAL DIAPHRAGMATIC-HERNIA

We describe an infant with severe eventration of the right diaphragm a nd pulmonary hypoplasia who presented like a newborn with congenital d iaphragmatic hernia complicated by persistent pulmonary hypertension. Surgical correction while on extracorporeal life support was unsuccess ful due to attachments of the liver which prevented reduction into the abdominal cavity and our inability to distinguish the true defect fro m complete agenesis of the right hemidiaphragm. At autopsy the pulmona ry remnant and the fibrous membrane separating it from the liver were identified.