Volume 69, Issue 1 pp. 62-71
Medical Imaging—Review Article

Thoracic hernias: What the radiologist should know

Felipe Aluja-Jaramillo

Felipe Aluja-Jaramillo

Radiology Department, Hospital Universitario San Ignacio – Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia

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Omar Andrés Pantoja Burbano

Corresponding Author

Omar Andrés Pantoja Burbano

Radiology Department, Hospital Universitario San Ignacio – Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia

Correspondence

Omar Andrés Pantoja Burbano, Radiology Department, Hospital Universitario San Ignacio – Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Carrera 7 No 40 – 62, Zip code: 110231, Bogotá, Colombia.

Email: [email protected]

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Fernando R. Gutiérrez

Fernando R. Gutiérrez

Cardiothoracic Imaging Section, Radiology Department, Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

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Carlos Previgliano

Carlos Previgliano

Louisiana State University Health – Shreveport, Shreveport, Louisiana, USA

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Sanjeev Bhalla

Sanjeev Bhalla

Cardiothoracic Imaging Section, Radiology Department, Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

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First published: 18 October 2024

F Aluja-Jaramillo: MD, MHPE; OA Pantoja Burbano MD; FR Gutiérrez MD; C Previgliano MD; S Bhalla MD.

Conflict of interest: The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

Abstract

Thoracic hernias encompass the protrusion of thoracic contents through the thorax or intra-abdominal tissue into the thorax. They can be classified as diaphragmatic hernias – either congenital or acquired; pulmonary hernias – involving tissue protrusion through cervical fascia or intercostal spaces; and mediastinal hernias – including cardiac, intrapericardial and hiatal hernias. Prompt identification and classification of thoracic hernias rely on diagnostic imaging, primarily through computed tomography and magnetic resonance, to identify associated complications. This article comprehensively reviews thoracic hernias and their key imaging features.

Data availability statement

Data sharing not applicable to this article as no datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.

The full text of this article hosted at iucr.org is unavailable due to technical difficulties.