Bilateral herniation of the small intestine through the oesophageal hiatus

Hiatal hernia after esophagectomy – a report of two cases

“…Reports of 108 postoperative hiatal hernias, including the cases described by the present authors, have been found in the database so far [3, 4, 6–10]. The colon, small intestine, omentum, and even spleen can be found in postoperative hiatal hernias [1, 5, 6, 8, 10]. The most dramatic cases involving strangulation followed by ischemia of the colon or small intestine required additional resection [1, 5, 7, 10].…”

“…The abdominal approach is preferred, with a growing frequency of laparoscopy [1, 3, 5, 6, 9]. In the event of technical difficulties, additional thoracic access or even typical posterolateral thoracotomy may be required [8]. …”