Laparoscopic repair of paraesophageal hiatal hernia

Twenty-seven patients underwent consecutive elective laparoscopic repair of paraesophageal hiatal hernia between October 1992 and June 1997. There were 24 females and 3 males. The average age was 68 years (range, 46-86) and average weight was 173 pounds (range, 122-243 lb.). Presenting symptoms were: postprandial epigastric pain or pressure in 19 patients, postprandial dyspnea in 7 patients, anemia in 5 patients, postprandial vomiting of food in 5 patients, and 1 patient had postprandial palpitation. Heartburn was present in 9 patients. Five patients had a history of symptoms of intermittent volvulus. History of hiatal hernia was present in 19 patients ranging from 6 months to 38 years in duration. The operative procedure included a laparoscopic reduction of the herniated stomach, excision of the hernia sac, and closure of the diaphragmatic defect with placement of mesh graft. Anterior gastropexy was performed on all patients except two who had a Nissen fundoplication due to severe reflux symptoms. Seven patients had laparoscopic cholecystectomy at the same time and one patient had an excision of a small benign gastric leiomyoma of the fundus. The average operative time was 2:54 hours (range, 1:35-4:05 hrs.). The average hospital stay was 3.8 days (range, 2-8 days). One patient had a postoperative stroke and recovered quickly. Follow-up of 1 to 56 months showed no recurrence of the hernia. Two patients complained of some epigastric pain and six patients had occasional mild reflux that was easily controlled medically. Laparoscopic repair of paraesophageal hernia is a safe procedure with a short hospital stay and recovery time. Using mesh graft decreases the risk of developing an iatrogenic parahiatal hernia. The addition of Nissen fundoplication is not necessary unless the patient has objective findings of reflux.