[Computed tomography in the diagnosis of pathological states of the lumbar diaphragm. 1: general data. Developmental defects and traumatic disorders].

CT was employed for investigation of 94 patients with pathological changes of the diaphragm. Congenital defects and unilateral aplasia of the diaphragm were observed in 5 of them. A new symptom of a pathological line of the diaphragm was recognized, characteristic for this type of patients. Teratodermoid formations with a typical CT picture were found in 3 patients. A tumor growth source was undetectable by CT. The results of investigation of 5 patients with traumatic diaphragmatic hernia have shown no particular advantages of CT over traditional radiation methods. In one case, a traumatic diaphragmatic cyst was correctly diagnosed by CT. CT was shown to be a method of choice in the diagnosis of congenital and traumatic diaphragmatic lesions.