Severe Hiatal Hernia as a Cause of Failure to Thrive Discovered by Transthoracic Echocardiogram

Abstract EN

A newborn infant with failure to thrive presented for murmur evaluation on day of life three due to a harsh 3/6 murmur.

During the evaluation, a retrocardiac fluid filled mass was seen by transthoracic echocardiogram.

The infant was also found to have a ventricular septal defect and partial anomalous pulmonary venous return.

Eventually, a large hiatal hernia was diagnosed on subsequent imaging.

The infant ultimately underwent surgical repair of the hiatal hernia at a tertiary care facility.

Hiatal hernias have been noted as incidental extracardiac findings in adults, but no previous literature has documented hiatal hernias as incidental findings in the pediatric population.