Right upper quadrant pain after previous blunt abdominal trauma: undiagnosed traumatic diaphragmatic hernia with strangulated right colon

A woman in her 40s self-presented to an emergency department in a major trauma centre with severe right-sided abdominal pain, a tender right upper quadrant mass and chest pain. Diagnostic imaging showed a previously undiagnosed diaphragmatic hernia containing strangulated right colon. The patient had been the victim of a high-energy road traffic accident 18 months earlier, but at that time had not presented to hospital or undergone any outpatient investigation. This emergency presentation necessitated an emergency laparotomy, right colectomy, suture repair of diaphragmatic hernia and formation of ileo-colostomy. While a small number of similar cases have been documented, right-sided traumatic diaphragmatic herniae (TDH), where abdominal viscera bypass the liver and subsequently strangulate, are exceedingly rare. The evidence on delayed diagnosis of TDH is discussed and a system of follow-up for patients who suffer blunt abdominal trauma which is managed non-operatively is suggested.