Pediatric Chilaiditi Syndrome: A Case Report
- Authors
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-
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Hèla Ben Jmaà
department of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery
-
Mohamed Rebei
-
Rim KKarray
-
Malek Abbes
-
Ayman Ben Ayed
-
Zied Chaari
-
Abdessalem Hentati
-
- Keywords:
- Chilaiditi syndrome; Conservative treatment; Pseudo-occlusive syndrome; Differential diagnosis
- Abstract
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Chilaiditi syndrome, rare in children, corresponds to the interposition of the colon between the liver and the diaphragm.
We report the case of a 14-year-old teenager, followed for intellectual disability, admitted to the emergency room for respiratory discomfort and vomiting without occlusive syndrome. The chest X-ray showed the right colonic angle in the chest, suggesting a strangulated diaphragmatic hernia. The thoraco-abdominal CT scan corrected th diagnosis by objectyfying Chilaiditi syndrome. The course was favorable under conservative treatment (left lateral decubitus).
This case highlights the importance of discussing this diagnosis to avoid unnecessary exploratory surgery.
- References
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1. Kumar A, Mehta D. Chilaiditi Syndrome. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2026 [cited 2026 Apr 7]. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554565/ PubMed PMID: 32119452.
2. Vessal K, Borhanmanesh F. Hepatodiaphragmatic interposition of the intestine (Chilaiditi’s syndrome). Clinical Radiology. 1976 Jan 1;27(1):113–6. doi:10.1016/S0009-9260(76)80031-1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0009-9260(76)80031-1
3. Adu Y, Nesiama EA, Siddiqui A, Prakash S, Obokhare I. Chilaiditi Syndrome: A Case Report, Literature Review, and Proposition of a Novel Management Staging System. Cureus 2023 October 8; 15(10): e46688. doi:10.7759/cureus.46688 PubMed PMID: 37942369; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10629610. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.46688
4. Mistry KA, Bhoil R, Kumar N, Chopra R, Thapar N. Significance of Chilaiditi sign and Chilaiditi syndrome. Emerg Nurse. 2017 Jun 15;25(3):26–31. doi:10.7748/en.2017.e1682 PubMed PMID: 28617114. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7748/en.2017.e1682
5. Saha B, Verma A, Coelho-Prabhu N, Kelm ZS, Cabrera D. Chilaiditi Syndrome Masquerading as Acute Cholecystitis. ACG Case Rep J. 2024 Jul 19;11(7):e01448. doi:10.14309/crj.0000000000001448 PubMed PMID: 39035204; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC11259379. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14309/crj.0000000000001448
6. Ramspott JP, Jäger T, Lechner M, Schredl P, Gabersek A, Mayer F, et al. A systematic review on diagnostics and surgical treatment of adult right-sided Bochdalek hernias and presentation of the current management pathway. Hernia. 2022;26(1):47–59. doi:10.1007/s10029-021-02445-1 PubMed PMID: 34216313; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8881253. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10029-021-02445-1
7. Teoh S, Mimi O, Poonggothai S, Liew S, Kumar G. Pneumoperitoneum or Chilaiditi’s sign. Malays Fam Physician. 2016 Apr 30;11(1):22–4. PubMed PMID: 28461845; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5405329.
8. Moaven O, Hodin RA. Chilaiditi Syndrome. Gastroenterol Hepatol (N Y). 2012 Apr;8(4):276–8. PubMed PMID: 22723763; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3380266.
9. ScienceFrontier. ScienceFrontier [Internet]. [cited 2026 Apr 7]. Chilaiditi Syndrome: A Comprehensive Review. Available from: https://sciencefrontier.org/article/chilaiditi-syndrome-a-comprehensive-review doi:https://doi.org/CCSRR/RW/008
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- Published
- 30-06-2026
- Section
- Case Reports
- License
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