Struggling with a Gastric Volvulus Secondary to a Type IV Hiatal Hernia

Acute paraesophageal hernia with gastric volvulus. Results of surgical treatment: a systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION

Acute gastric volvulus (AGV), is an uncommon complication of large paraesophageal hernias (PEH), resulting in closed-loop obstruction that may lead to incarceration and strangulation. The aim of this study was to summarize the evidence on clinical characteristics, surgical treatment, postoperative complications (POC), recurrence, and 30-day mortality (30DM), in patients undergoing surgery for AGV secondary to PEH.

METHODS

A systematic review including studies on AGV secondary to PEH was conducted. Searches were performed in WoS, Embase, Medline, Scopus, BIREME-BV and SciELO. Primary outcomes included POC, 30DM and recurrence. Secondary outcomes comprised publication date, study origin and design, number of patients, volvulus type, hospital stay length, treatments; and methodological quality (MQ) of studies assessed using MInCir-T and MInCir-Pr2 scales. Descriptive statistics, weighted averages (WA), least squares logistic regression for comparisons, and meta-analysis of POC prevalence and HM were applied.

RESULTS

Of 1049 studies 171 met selection criteria, encompassing 15,178 patients. The WA age of patients was 75.3 ± 13.9 years, with 51.3% female. Most studies originated from USA (31.6%), with 52.6% published in the last decade. The WA of hospital stay was 7.9 ± 5.3 days. Among patients, 32.0% experienced POC, 7.6% required reinterventions and HM was 5.7%. MQ scores averaged 8.9 ± 2.3 (MInCir-T) and 13.4 ± 5.4 (MInCir-Pr2). When comparing 1990-2014 and 2015-2024 periods, there were significant differences in age, reinterventions, readmissions and recurrence rates.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite surgical and resuscitative advancements, AGV prognosis remains poor, with high POC rates, prolonged hospitalization and significant 30DM. These findings emphasize the importance of early diagnosis and timely intervention for acute PEH to improve surgical outcomes.

Late presentation of congenital type IV esophageal hiatus hernia in a 9-year-old boy: a case report

Background

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia affects 1 in every 2000–5000 live births. The mediastinum shifts to the opposite side, the lungs are hypoplastic, and the arterioles are abnormal, resulting in pulmonary hypertension. Respiratory and cardiovascular functions are severely impaired at birth, resulting in significant mortality and morbidity as a result of the associated malformations.

Case presentation

A 9-year-old persian boy was referred with complaint of intermittent abdominal pain in the left lower quadrant and an episode of vomiting. The patient was tachypneic, and the abdomen was nontender on examination. Lung sounds on the left side were considerably decreased, whereas heart sounds on the right side were louder. There was no history of underlying disease in the patient. Initial laboratory blood tests, chest x-ray, spiral computed tomography scan, and chest sonography were requested. Blood tests were normal, and chest x-ray revealed a round-shaped lesion with relatively clear boundaries containing air–fluid level and shift of the heart and mediastinum to the right. A spiral computed tomography scan of the lungs demonstrated the shift of the heart and mediastinum to the right side was due to dilated stomach and colon pressure, and chest sonography revealed that half of the stomach was inside the thorax. Laparotomy surgery was performed. The patient had no complications following surgery.

Conclusions

Herniation of abdominal contents through the diaphragmatic hiatus should be suspected in patients with tachypnea and mediastinal shift to the right side. Rapid diagnosis and early surgical treatment are necessary to avert any potentially life-threatening complications.

Minding the Gap: Clinical Manifestations of a Rare Type IV Hiatal Hernia

Hiatal hernias are classified according to the increasing severity of protruding intra-abdominal viscera through the esophageal hiatus (types I-IV). Herein is the case of an elderly patient presenting with recent-onset dyspnea, postprandial gastroesophageal reflux, and hypoxemia. Imaging revealed a rare type IV hiatal hernia implicating the stomach and part of the pancreas. This case highlights the seemingly benign clinical manifestations of a massive hiatal hernia, despite its ability to complicate treatment or exacerbate comorbid conditions.

Severe type IV hiatal hernia secondary to congenital shortened esophagus

In patients with severe type IV hiatal hernias, clinicians should consider congenital shortened esophagus. This article reviews the causes of shortened esophagus and its clinical manifestations.

A case of splenic rupture within an umbilical hernia with loss of domain

INTRODUCTION

Massive ventral hernia with loss of abdominal domain is a particularly complex disease. We present a case of a massive umbilical hernia with loss of abdominal domain containing the small bowel, colon, and spleen that presented with spontaneous splenic rupture.

CASE REPORT

The patient was an 82-year-old Caucasian female with multiple comorbidities, on anti-coagulation for cardiac dysrhythmia with a congenital umbilical hernia with loss of abdominal domain which had progressed over multiple years. She presented to an outside hospital with history of a left-sided abdominal pain accompanying fatigue and weakness.A CT scan of the abdomen revealed an umbilical hernia with loss of abdominal domain containing the patient's entire small bowel, colon, pancreas, and the spleen. The spleen had ruptured with associated hemorrhage and hematoma in the hernia sac.Management included a multidisciplinary approach with particular attention to comorbidities and hemodynamic monitoring due to splenic rupture. Given the need for lifetime anticoagulation, a splenectomy was planned along with simultaneous abdominal wall reconstruction. The patient underwent an exploratory laparotomy, splenectomy, bilateral posterior component separation with transversus abdominis release, and a retrorectus/preperitoneal placement of heavy weight polypropylene mesh.During the postoperative period, the patient remained intubated initially due to elevated airway pressures before transferring to the regular nursing floor. The remainder of the patient's hospital stay was complicated by a postoperative ileus requiring nasogastric tube decompression and a DVT and PE necessitating anticoagulation. The ileus eventually resolved and diet was slowly advanced. The patient was discharged on POD17.

DISCUSSION

To our knowledge, this is the first report in the literature describing a splenic rupture that occurred within the hernia sac of a congenital umbilical hernia. This report serves to highlight that even with novel cases of massive and atypical hernias, posterior component separation with transversus abdominis release is a reproducible repair that can be performed with good result in a variety of circumstances.

Transient left ventricular and stomach apical ballooning syndromes: when the trigger is also a clinical emergency

A 59-year-old woman was referred to our emergency department because of epigastric pain and incoercible vomit. Electrocardiogram showed ST-segment elevation in anterior-lateral leads, but coronary angiogram revealed normal coronary tree and left ventricular angiography showed apical and midventricular akinesis with preserved basal systolic function: a diagnosis of apical ballooning syndrome was made. During the following days, the patient complained about persistent abdominal pain, and a nasogastric tube drained more than 1000 cc of dark fecaloid material. Urgent abdominal computed tomography scan showed a mural thrombus in the apex of the left ventricle and a huge diaphragmatic hernia through which more than one-half of the stomach was herniated and presented a sort of “apical stomach ballooning.” Gastropexy was done; surgical diagnosis was a type IV giant diaphragmatic hernia complicated by recent gastric volvulus caused by rotation along the longitudinal cardiopyloric axis. Type IV giant diaphragmatic hernia is relatively rare, representing only about 5% to 7% of all hernias. Gastric volvulus is a severe complication, with acute mortality reported to be as high as 30% to 50%. In our case, a severe life-threatening condition as gastric volvulus triggered an apical ballooning syndrome, a transient cardiomyopathy, usually induced by emotional stressors with a long-term good prognosis. Apical ballooning syndrome must be considered an epiphenomenon of other organic diseases that may have an important role in the prognosis of the patient not only in acute but also in chronic setting. Only early determination of the true cause of apical ballooning syndrome ensures a proper treatment.