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Hiatal hernias

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Abstract

Esophageal hiatal hernias have been reported to affect anywhere from 10 to 50% of the population. Hiatal hernias are characterized by a protrusion of the stomach into the thoracic cavity through a widening of the right crus of the diaphragm. There are four types of esophageal hiatal hernias: sliding (type I), paraesophageal (type II), and combined (type III), which include elements of types I and II, and giant paraesophageal (type IV). Each type may present with different symptoms and complications. The potential severity of symptoms necessitates proper and prompt diagnosis. Diagnosis is established with the use of barium swallow on chest radiographs. Treatment for sliding hernias involves laparoscopic fundoplication. The aim of our paper is to review the extensive literature regarding hiatal hernias in an effort to enhance awareness and diagnosis of this pathology.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Mohammadali M. Shoja, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Division of Neurosurgery, Birmingham, AL, USA for his valuable contribution to this work.

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The paper is not under consideration elsewhere. All authors have read and approved the manuscript. All authors declare that there are no financial associations and no conflict of interest.

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Correspondence to Marios Loukas.

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Dean, C., Etienne, D., Carpentier, B. et al. Hiatal hernias. Surg Radiol Anat 34, 291–299 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-011-0904-9

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