Paraesophageal Hernia with Small Bowel Strangulation

Paraesophageal hernias are usually classified into three distinct types: type I, sliding hernias; type II, paraesophageal hernias; type III, a combination of type I and II. Herniation of other abdominal organs can be classified as type IV, and is a rare situation at the esophageal hiatus. We report herein a 73-year-old female patient who presented with epigastric pain and diagnosed as type IV paraesophageal hernia. Initial evaluation was focused on myocardial ischemia. There was no evidence of myocardial ischemia in the coronary angiography, but follow-up chest X-ray revealed air-fluid levels in the left mediastinum suggested hiatal hernia. On computed tomography, herniation and strangulation of proximal jejunum into the hemithorax via left diaphragmatic defect was found. After reduction of small bowel and resection of strangulated segment, the defect was closed. Fluid collection in the hernia sac was detected at postoperative day nine, but she was discharged without complication.

Laparoscopic repair of paraesophageal hernia / 国际外科学杂志

Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of laparoscopic repair of paraesophageal her-nia. Methods Sixty-one patients underwent laparoscopic repair of paraesophageal hernia, all having laparo-scopic Toupet fundoplication. Results Laparoscopic repair of paraesophageal hernia was completed success-fully in all the 61 patients. The average operation time was 110 min and the blood loss 10～50 ml. Postopera-tive oral feedings were resumed 24～48 h after surgery, and no postoperative complication occurred. The me-dian postoperative hospital stay was 5.7 d. Conclusion Laparoscopic repair of paraesophageal hernia is an effective and safe surgical procedure of minimal invasion.

Laparoscopic Treatment of Paraesophageal Hernia Complicated with Gastric Volvulus

Paraesophageal hernias are rare, accounting only for about 5% of all hiatal hernias but can sometimes lead to life-threatening complications such as bleeding, obstruction, incarceration, and strangulation. Accordingly, the surgical repair of paraesophageal hernia must be performed irrespectively of symptoms. Laparoscopic techniques of paraesophageal hernia offer several advantages compared with open techniques, including smaller incision, less traumatic handling of tissues, less postoperative pain. In this report, we describe a case of paraesophageal hernia complicated with gastric volvulus, which has been successfully repaired by the laparoscopic approach. A 79-year-old female was suffering from dysphagia, abdominal pain and intermittent vomiting for several months, and a paraesophageal hernia with partial gastric outlet obstruction due to gastric volvulus was diagnosed. The patient underwent the reduction of the hernia, dissection of the sac, crural repair and fundoplication via a laparoscopic approach. She recovered early and has been doing well on follow up with no recurrence.

A case of paraesophageal hernia repaired by laparoscopic approach

Paraesophageal hernia comprises only 2 approximately 5% of all hiata hernias but is prone to incarceration and strangulation. For this reason they must be recognized and repaired as expeditiously as possible. The laparoscopic approach has already been successfully applied to the repair of the more common sliding hiatal hernia and it seems reasonable to propose that the paraesophageal hernia, provided it is not complicated, might also be repaired by the laparoscopic technique. We present here a case of paraesophageal hernia which has been successfully repaired by the laparoscopic approach. A 73-year-old female suffering from postprandial fullness in the retrosternal area was diagnosed preoperatively with paraesophageal hiatal hernia with gastroesophageal acid reflux and was submitted for laparoscopic repair. The procedure entailed reduction of the hernia, mobilization of the esophagogastric junction with crural repair and partial fundoplication. At the 9th-month follow-up, the patient had remained asymptomatic and follow-up studies revealed no evidence of hernia or acid reflux. As a result of this favorable experience with minimal morbidity, early hospital discharge, and effective control of symptoms without adverse sequalae, laparoscopic repair can be considered as the curative and minimal invasive method in the management of paraesophageal hernia.

Pediatric gastric volvulus: experience with 7 cases

Gastric volvulus, organoaxial or mesenterioaxial, is a rare condition in infancy and childhood. We experienced 7 cases of pediatric gastric volvulus, consisting of 3 cases of secondary gastric volvulus due to left diaphragmatic eventration or paraesophageal hernia and 4 cases of idiopathic gastric volvulus. Of 7 cases, five were organoaxial in type and two were mesenterioaxial. The main symptoms of secondary gastric volvulus were vomiting and respiratory difficulty whereas those of idiopathic gastric volvulus were abdominal distension and weight loss with or without failure to thrive. It may be suspected on plain abdominal radiographs and usually confirmed by upper gastrointestinal series. Upper gastrointestinal series in organaxial volvulus demonstrated characteristic findings such as reversal of the greater and lesser curvatures and two air-fluid levels. In mesenterioaxial volvulus, the stomach was rotated into inverted position with pyloroantral obstruction showing a beak appearance. The three patients with secondary volvulus underwent repair of associated defect with or without gastropexy and the 3 patients with idiopathic volvulus underwent anterior gastropexy or gastrostomy. In those with idiopathic gastric volvulus, there was no obvious cause such as laxity of the perigastric ligaments. The operative results were satisfactory except for the three patients with idiopathic gastric volvulus whose abdomen remained distended regardless of weight gain.