Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) develops before birth when your baby has a hole in their diaphragm -- the flat muscle that separates the chest from the abdomen. Early in pregnancy, before the baby's diaphragm is completely developed, a hole does exist in the diaphragm, but this normally closes by the end of the third month of pregnancy. CDH occurs in about one in every 2,500 births.

When a baby has a hole in their diaphragm that does not close properly, some of the organs in the abdomen, including the stomach, intestine, liver, spleen and kidneys, may move into the chest. As a result, the lungs cannot grow to normal size, causing a condition called pulmonary hypoplasia. The majority of these defects occur on the left side.

While in the uterus, a fetus does not need its lungs to breathe because oxygen is delivered to the fetus through the mother's placenta. However, when the baby is born, healthy lungs are necessary. If the lungs have not developed normally and are too small, the baby will not get enough oxygen to survive.

Most babies with CDH can be treated successfully after birth, although a few with the most severe form of this condition may be treated while in the womb. The UCSF Fetal Treatment Center was the first facility in the world to offer treatment for congenital diaphragmatic hernia while a baby is still in the uterus.

Experts at UCSF Children's Hospital care for infants in the William H. Tooley Intensive Care Nursery.

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Children's Hospital.
Last updated May 8, 2007