Under certain abnormal conditions, part or all of the stomach can migrate through the diaphragm into the thorax. These conditions include congenital defects in the diaphragm and traumatic rupture of the diaphragm (commonly resulting from automobile accidents). A more common cause of partial translocation of the stomach into the chest is a sliding hernia through the esophageal hiatus itself. Intrathoracic stomach can also be iatrogenic; in this article, the authors describe the echocardiographic findings of a patient in whom carcinoma of the esophageal-gastric junction was resected and the cut ends of the esophagus and stomach anastomosed by bringing the stomach up into the thorax.
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