Oesophageal Hiatus Hernia:Follow-up Studies after Surgical Correction

Abstract

The purpose of these studies was to examine the experience of the surgical correction of oesophageal hiatus hernia at the University Hospital (Landspitalinn), Reykjavik. It contains a detailed review of 45 patients operated on during a 15-year period with variable techniques and two main approaches, the transthoracic and the transabdominal. The operative techniques are analysed and operated co-existing diseases are listed. The primary mortality was 2.2%. There is a detailed follow-up of 38 patients. They were all interviewed for clinical results and all underwent barium-meal radiological examinations. The clinical successes of the operations numbered 36 out of 38 patients, or 94.8%. The radiological recurrence as estimated by recurrence of the hernia, reflux, or both, was 28.9%. The recurrence hernias were on the average smaller than the original hernias. Better results are shown by transthoracic as compared with transabdominal approach. Comparisons are made with other reported series.