Laparoscopic Hiatal Hernia Repair

What Is Hiatal Her­nia Repair Surgery?

Hiatal her­nia repair is a min­i­mal­ly inva­sive sur­gi­cal pro­ce­dure, per­formed laparo­scop­i­cal­ly or robot­i­cal­ly, that treats a con­di­tion called hiatal her­nia. This occurs when a sec­tion of the stom­ach moves up through an open­ing in the diaphragm into the chest area. This may cause issues, includ­ing chest dis­com­fort, burn­ing sen­sa­tions, acid back­ing up into the throat, and prob­lems with swal­low­ing food.

If you are expe­ri­enc­ing hiatal her­nia symp­toms, sched­ule an appoint­ment with a pri­ma­ry care provider today. 

Dur­ing hiatal her­nia surgery, the stom­ach is repo­si­tioned, and the open­ing in the diaphragm (called the hia­tus) is tight­ened to pre­vent the her­nia from recurring.

Under­stand­ing Hiatal Hernia

A hiatal her­nia is when a part of your stom­ach push­es upward through the hia­tus — the nor­mal open­ing in the diaphragm where the food pipe con­nects to the stom­ach. This con­di­tion can be caused by:

• Weak­en­ing of diaphrag­mat­ic mus­cles due to age or injury
• Increased abdom­i­nal pres­sure from heavy lift­ing, obe­si­ty, preg­nan­cy, or straining
• Con­gen­i­tal abnor­mal­i­ties, such as an enlarged hiatus

When Is Hiatal Her­nia Surgery Recommended?

While small hiatal her­nias may not require treat­ment, surgery may be nec­es­sary if:

• Symp­toms like GERD (gas­troe­sophageal reflux dis­ease), nau­sea, or chron­ic heart­burn are severe or persistent
• Non-sur­gi­cal treat­ments (e.g., med­ica­tions and lifestyle changes) are ineffective
• There’s a risk of stran­gu­la­tion, where the stom­ach gets trapped, cut­ting off the blood sup­ply requir­ing an emer­gency sur­gi­cal repair. 
• Com­pli­ca­tions devel­op, such as ulcers, bleed­ing, or dif­fi­cul­ty breath­ing or swallowing

Prepar­ing for Hiatal Her­nia Repair Surgery

Before under­go­ing hiatal her­nia repair, your doc­tor will:

• Per­form a full phys­i­cal exam and order nec­es­sary tests (blood work, imaging)
• Review your med­ical his­to­ry, cur­rent med­ica­tions, and allergies
• Instruct you to stop cer­tain med­ica­tions (e.g., blood thin­ners) before surgery
• Advise fast­ing for at least 8 hours before the procedure
• Pro­vide pre-op instruc­tions, includ­ing show­er­ing with antibac­te­r­i­al soap and arrang­ing trans­porta­tion home
• Dis­cuss the pro­ce­dure risks and obtain informed consent

Robot­ic or Laparo­scop­ic Hiatal Her­nia Repair (Min­i­mal­ly Invasive)

It involves:

• Small inci­sions in the abdomen
• Use of a laparo­scope (a thin, light­ed tube with a camera)
• Repo­si­tion­ing the stom­ach and tight­en­ing the hiatus
• Wrap­ping the upper stom­ach (fun­dus) around the low­er esoph­a­gus to rein­force the valve and reduce acid reflux
• Faster recov­ery, small­er scars, and less post­op­er­a­tive pain
• Vari­a­tions such as par­tial or full fun­do­pli­ca­tion (e.g., Nis­sen or Toupet) may be con­sid­ered based on patient-spe­cif­ic factors

Recov­ery After Hiatal Her­nia Surgery

Fol­low­ing your procedure:

• Hos­pi­tal stay is usu­al­ly 1 – 2 days
• You’ll receive pain relief and antibi­otics to pre­vent infection
• Grad­ual return to activ­i­ty is rec­om­mend­ed, avoid lift­ing heavy things or stren­u­ous activ­i­ties for at least a few weeks
• Tem­po­rary dietary changes include small, fre­quent meals and avoid­ing gas-pro­duc­ing or acidic foods
• You may return to work with­in 1 – 2 weeks, depend­ing on your recovery
• A fol­low-up vis­it will ensure heal­ing and mon­i­tor for complications

Poten­tial Risks and Complications

Though rare, hiatal her­nia surgery may involve risks such as:

• Infec­tion at the inci­sion or mesh site
• Bleed­ing or blood clots
• Dif­fi­cul­ty swallowing
• Acid reflux recurrence
• Injury to sur­round­ing tis­sues or organs
• Scar tis­sue development
• Reac­tions to anesthesia

Ben­e­fits of Hiatal Her­nia Surgery

• Long-term relief from acid reflux, GERD, and heartburn
• Pre­ven­tion of her­nia-relat­ed complications
• Bet­ter qual­i­ty of life
• Less reliance on medications

If you have been diag­nosed with a hiatal her­nia and are look­ing for a top-rat­ed sur­geon to com­plete your hiatal her­nia repair, sched­ule an appoint­ment with a Duly gen­er­al sur­geon online today.