Incidence Of Hiatal Hernia Research Articles

Incidence of hiatus hernia in patients without symptoms.

IN THE evaluation of the clinical significance of the esophageal hiatus hernia, the question of how frequently this lesion exists without symptoms assumes considerable importance. In view of the increasing incidence in the diagnosis of hiatus hernia, largely due to more frequent routine use of various positional maneuvers of the patient during the roentgenologic examination of the upper gastrointestinal tract, the problem of asymptomatic hiatus hernia is of greater interest. For instance, in a recent study 1 hiatus hernia was the second most frequent diagnosis made for 3,448 patients undergoing roentgenologic study of the upper gastrointestinal tract after a barium meal. Duodenal ulcer was diagnosed in 705 patients while hiatus hernia was present in 308 patients. There is great variance of opinion in the literature as to the importance and incidence of asymptomatic patients with hiatus hernia. In most reports the authors present various features of the clinical picture

INCIDENCE OF HIATUS HERNIA AND ASSOCIATED LESIONS DIAGNOSED BY ROENTGEN RAY

THE TRANSITION of hernia of the esophageal hiatus, more commonly called hiatus hernia, from a rare entity to one of comparative frequency has taken place in the past two decades. It was some years after the advent of diagnostic roentgenology that appreciation of the diagnostic value of changes in position of patients during barium study of the gastrointestinal tract led to routine study of the patient in the prone, supine or Trendelenburg positions. Ritvo 1 in 1930 emphasized the importance of this maneuver in bringing to light many previously undiagnosed hiatal hernias, particularly of the recurrent, small variety which may be seen only in the Trendelenburg position and may, indeed, be absent at another examination. Jenkinson and Roberts 2 estimated that only 5 per cent of hiatus hernias could be diagnosed if the erect position alone were used during examination. Since the radiologist has attained a high degree of awareness