Diaphragmatic hernia of morgagni

Two cases of diaphragmatic Morgagni hernia in infants are presented. This type of hernia may manifest either as an acute pulmonary or gastrointestinal problem in the neonate or as a chronic one in older children and adults. In a neonate with delayed onset of respiratory distress, cardiac disease must be excluded before concluding that pulmonary compromise is due to the hernia. The only physical clue to this disease entity is the rare occurrence of anterior cardiodiaphragmatic solid lesion on chest x ray requires a liver scan to rule out a retrosternal herniation of the liver. Once the diagnosis is established, transabdominal repair should be performed to avoid possible complications of the anomaly. Infants undergoing repair should have simple reduction of the hernia with incorporation of sac into diaphragmatic sutures to avoid dead space, pneumothorax or pneumopericardium.