Medicine
Embryological Origins of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia
Quick fact
About 80% of congenital diaphragmatic hernias occur on the left side, and they are typically posterolateral (Bochdalek hernias), resulting from incomplete closure of the pleuroperitoneal canal around the 8th week of gestation.
Why this is interesting
Every day, about 1 in 2,500 newborns is born with a hole in their diaphragm—a muscular sheet that normally separates the chest from the belly. Why does this happen, and why is it always on the same side?