A long-term prospective follow-up of 113 children with vomiting due to a small hiatal hernia is described. When reviewed by the same clinical and radiological observers 20 or more years later, over 90% of unoperated non-stricture patients were asymptomatic whereas only 44% of the stricture and/or surgically treated group were without symptoms. Half or possibly more of the asymptomatic patients still had a hernia and it is possible that these may suffer a recurrence of symptoms later in adult life. The loculus of thoracic stomach tended to retain the same shape; there was a slightly better prognosis for the locular type of hernia compared with the tubular type. Complicating oesophageal strictures can decrease or disappear without surgery other than dilatation; the results of treatment by radical surgery were disappointing. There is need for an even more prolonged follow-up into later adult life.
Carre, I., Astley, R. and Langmead‐Smith, Rhoda (1976).
Aust. paediat. J., 12, 92–94. A 20‐year follow‐up of children with a partial thoracic stomach (hiatal hernia). A preliminary report is presented of a long‐term prospective study undertaken to ascertain the prognosis of children with a partial thoracic stomach (hiatal hernia) beyond childhood. This survey relates to 94 children who were originally studied by two of the authors (I.C. & R.A.) during 1950–1955. These patients had either received no specific treatment or had been managed conservatively by postural therapy. Although over 90% were free of symptoms, about one half still had a well defined intrathoracic gastric loculus on fluoroscopic examination.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.