The surgical approach in the diaphragmatic hernias in cats

Abstract

A diaphragmatic hernia occurs when one or more organs of the abdominal cavity protrudes through a gap or opening into the thoracic cavity. The hernias can be congenital (usually before the kitten reaches the first year) or acquired, because of a trauma (occurs at any age). The standard treatment is the surgical procedure which includes the topographical arrangement of the organs in the abdominal cavity, the suture of the detached portion of the diaphragm and the establishment of the negative pressure in the thoracic cavity. Usually the first two organs to herniate are the liver and the stomach, but we had cases when all the organs of the digestive tract until the small intestine were herniated.