Esophageal Hiatal Hernia with GastricPerforation : A Case Report

ABSTRACT

Esophageal hiatal hernia occurs when a portion of the stomach prolapses through the esophageal hiatus into the thoracic cavity. The most common symptoms are epigastric or substernal pain, nausea, vomiting and dyspepsia, but most people with hiatal hernia are asymptomatic or have nonspecific symptoms. Hiatal hernia is usually discovered as an incidental finding on upper gastrointestinal studies or gastroscopy. We now report a case of type II paraesophageal hiatal hernia with gastric perforation. It is important to consider panperitonitis caused by perforation of a herniated stomach when the patient with hiatal hernia has acute abdominal pain.