Delayed-onset Bochdalek hernia in a 3-year-old child.

A 3-year-old child presented to the emergency department (ED) with the sudden onset of shortness of breath and wheezing. The child had previously been in good health and had no problems during the neonatal period. Chest x-ray performed in the ED was consistent with a Bochdalek diaphragmatic hernia. Subsequently, the child had surgery. The diagnosis was confirmed, and recovery was uneventful. The differential diagnosis of late onset congenital diaphragmatic hernia is discussed with an emphasis on both early recognition and differential diagnosis of this rare but correctable entity.