Original article: general thoracicHernia of the lung
Section snippets
Patients and methods
During the years 1984 to 2000, 8 patients with lung hernia were seen at the Wolfson Medical Center (Table 1). There were three male and five female patients, ranging in age from 25 to 73 years. All patients were symptomatic. Four complained of pain. Bulge was present in seven instances; in 3 patients it was present most of the time regardless of straining, whereas in 4 patients, it was elicited by straining only. In 1 patient, the bulge was not present, but the chest defect was palpated. The
Results
All patients remain under follow-up (Table 2). Three patients who were not operated on (1, 4, and 8) remain under observation. There was no progress of their disease and their symptoms remain minimal. Four patients with intercostal hernia (2, 3, 6, and 7) treated by placing intercostal sutures, are well, with follow-up ranging from 2 to 16 years. The patient treated with Marlex mesh closure (patient 5) is well 1 year, 5 months after the operation. There were no complications related to the
Comment
Lung hernia is a rare condition. It was first described by Roland (cited in [3]). Since then approximately 300 patients have been reported 1, 2. In the majority of reported patients, the lung herniated through the intercostal space as a result of trauma or after thoracic operation; most of the other hernias were congenital. The most widely accepted classification of lung hernia is that of Morel-Lavallee [4], based on both the etiology and anatomic location. Classification by etiology recognizes
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