Interdisciplinary information and advice on the disease and our treatment concept is therefore usually provided before the birth.
The diaphragm is a muscle that acts as a kind of muscle plate separating the abdominal and thoracic cavities. Through a gap in this muscle plate, abdominal organs (intestines, stomach, liver, spleen) enter the chest (herniation) and displace the immature lungs of the fetus. As a result, normal lung development is not possible.
Newborns with a diaphragmatic hernia usually require intensive medical care from birth. After the stabilization phase, the patient is transferred to the University Children’s Hospital Zurich for surgical correction of the diaphragmatic hernia.