Fig. 2

a–h CT and US images for an 8-year-old male patient presented with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia for preoperative assessment. a Coronal reformatted CT of chest (mediastinal window) showing a large postero-lateral defect in the left hemidiaphragm through which a herniated bowel loops were seen in the left hemi thorax. b An US image—intercostal view—showing the defect that measure 6 cm (between the side arrows) as in CT and the echogenic bowel loops in the left hemithorax. c, d US images using the superficial probe through an intercostal view showing an average diaphragmatic thickness (RT = 2.4 mm, between the white circles/LT = 2.5 mm between the white dots) with an adequate thickening fraction (RT = 43%/LT = 48% ). e–h US images (for functional assessment of the diaphragm)—in intercostal views—showing within normal right diaphragmatic excursion in normal, deep breathing, and sniff test (= 1.2 cm in normal breathing (e, between the red dots)/= 3.4 cm in deep breathing between the red dots/= 4 cm in sniffing (f, between the red dots) and below normal left diaphragmatic excursion in deep breathing and sniff test (= 0.9 cm in normal breathing (g, between the red dots)/= 1.1 cm in deep breathing (h, between the red dots)/= 1.3 cm in sniffing between the red dots); these findings were relevant to a left hemidiaphragmatic weakness with a bowel containing left hemidiaphragmatic hernia