Chilaiditi syndrome: The false pneumoperitoneum not to be ignored

ABSTRACT

The Chilaiditi syndrome is a set of clinical and radiological signs characterized by the interposition of the colon or the small intestine between the lower face of the diaphragm and the liver. It is a rare entity often fortuitously discovered. We report the case of two patients admitted to the emergency room, the first 74 years old for exploration of acute epigastric pain with dyspnea in a covid positive context while the second 66 years old for an occlusive syndrome with a history of chronic constipation. The scannographic exploration finds colonic anses in the interhepatodiaphragmatic space making evoke a Chilaiditi syndrome Chilaiditi syndrome represents the classic trap of false right pneumoperitoneum as it can mask a true pneumoperitoneum. The treatment is often conservative and surgery is reserved in case of complications.