Disease: hernia hiatal
Question: for hernia hiatal, surgery for a hiatal hernia?
Answer: Surgical treatment is sometimes required to repair larger hiatal hernias and treat heartburn symptoms. Surgery for Hiatal hernias is used if reflux symptoms can not be successfully controlled with medication or if you have a type of hernia called a giant esophageal hernia, also known as intrathoracic stomach.
Types of surgery
While hiatal hernias can often be treated with lifestyle changes or medication, some people may need surgery to repair their hiatal hernias.
Surgery to repair a hiatal hernia may involve tightening your diaphragm and pulling the stomach down from the chest cavity back into the abdomen.
A surgeon will recommend surgery based on what stage your hiatal hernia is.
Common surgical options include
:
Hiatus repair surgery. This surgery uses sutures and prosthetic mesh to tighten and decrease the size of the enlarged hiatus, which is the opening in the diaphragm that the esophagus travels through on its way to the stomach. It prevents your stomach from bulging upward through the hiatus and is used for early-stage Hiatal hernias.
Nissen Fundoplication. This procedure involves using stitches to wrap the upper part of the stomach, called the fundus, around the bottom portion of the esophagus in order to hold the stomach in place below the diaphragmatic hiatus. The stitches create pressure at the end of your esophagus which prevents stomach acid and food from flowing up from the stomach.
Collis-Nissen gastroplasty. This surgery is used to lengthen the esophagus in patients with more complex forms of Hiatal hernia due to esophageal shortening. In this procedure, a surgeon will use tissue from the upper part of your stomach to extend your esophagus.
What to expect
Surgery to repair a hiatal hernia typically takes between 2 and 3 hours
and is done while you�re under general anesthesia, so you�ll fall asleep and not feel pain during the procedure.
Surgery to repair a hiatal hernia can be done using different techniques:
Open repair. In an open repair surgery, your surgeon will make a large surgical cut in your belly in order to perform surgery.
Laparoscopic repair. In laparoscopic surgery, your surgeon will make several small cuts in your belly and insert a thin tube with a small camera through one of the cuts. Surgical tools will be inserted through the other cuts. Your surgeon will use a monitor hooked up to the camera in order to view the inside of your stomach and perform the surgery.
Recovery
You can expect to stay in the hospital for 1 to 2 days after your surgery. Some surgeries may require you to follow a soft or liquid diet and avoid carbonated beverages for a couple of weeks after surgery.
You may find that your appetite has decreased following surgery, and some patients may experience diarrhea during the first few days after their hernia repair.
There are generally no significant restrictions after hiatal hernia repair surgery, which means it�s ok to walk, climb stairs, have sexual intercourse, or exercise as long as it doesn�t hurt.
Your surgeon or doctor will provide more specific guidelines and instructions for your recovery, depending on what type of surgery you have.