CLINICAL HISTORY.—A pediatrician brought his 19-month-old son to Kauikeolani Children's Hospital Emergency Room after reviving him at home from a cardiac arrest associated with a generalized tonic-clonic convulsion.
The patient was the product of a normal pregnancy and an uncomplicated delivery with no history of birth trauma. He had been in excellent health with no previous convulsions and no previous symptoms relevant to his present illness.
The only abnormal findings on physical examination were a temperature of 105 F (40.5 C) and slightly diminished breath sounds with increased dullness to percussion over the right lower thorax.
An unexpected finding on the chest film is shown below.
Denouement and Discussion
Diaphragmatic Eventration
Diaphragmatic eventration (e—out of, venter—the belly) means in the direction of the diaphragm. There is an abnormal elevation of one phrenic leaf as a result of hypoplasia, paralysis, or atrophy. A large congenital eventration results from absent or