Congenital Diaphramatic Hernia

Contact Help Group: Children in Hospital Ireland
Tel: 01 8780448
Website: info@childreninhospital.ie

Children In Hospital Ireland is a nationwide voluntary organisation promoting the welfare of sick children by drawing attention to their special needs for emotional security.

Contact Website: www.cherubs-cdh.org
This website gives information and updates on research being done on Congenital Diaphramatic Hernia.

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a condition where there is a hole in the diaphragm and organs from the abdomen go up into the chest cavity, due to a congenital failure of the diaphragm to close correctly.

Many diaphragmatic hernias are discovered before birth on routine prenatal ultrasound. This occurs in about 1 in every 4000 babies. If stillbirths are included, it can occur in up 1 in 2000 births. The hole can vary a lot in size from ½ to 1 inch in size up to complete absence of the diaphragm on one side. Babies who have a large hole in the diaphragm often have problems right after birth and many don't survive. In general, survival is related to the how small the lung is on the side of the hernia and the opposite side. Most holes in the diaphragm (80%) are on the left side and most of these contain the small intestine, the spleen, stomach, and colon. Right-sided hernias usually contain part of the liver and intestine. All newborns with CDH require surgery; however, the timing of the operation may be different for different babies.