Surgical approach to a ruptured diaphragm in the cat

DIAPHRAGMATIC rupture is characterised by the protrusion of abdominal viscera into the chest as a result of a breach in the musculotendinous sheet dividing the thoracic and abdominal cavities. This breach is usually the result of blunt trauma involving the abdominal cavity, commonly caused by a blow from a motor vehicle, although falls and attacks from dogs are other possible aetiologies in the cat. Congenital defects in the diaphragm are occasionally found (pericardioperitoneal hernias, hiatal hernias and, more rarely, pleuroperitoneal hernias). This article focuses on the surgical management of traumatic diaphragmatic rupture in the cat.