GASTRIC VOLVULUS SECONDARY TO PARA-ESOPHAGEAL AND SLIDING HIATUS HERNIAS

Gastric volvulus is not a rare condition and 350 authentic cases have been documented in the adult population. Most often, gastric volvulus was associated with a large paraoesophageal hernia (40 %). We report seven new cases of gastric volvulus: 5 were due to a large paraoesophageal hernia, 1 to mixed hiatus hernia, and 1 to a sliding hiatus hernia. We did not observe any cases of acute strangulation with gastric necrosis. The lesions were reversible in the three cases of acute and four cases of chronic gastric volvulus. Surgical treatment included gastric volvulus reduction and repair of hiatus hernia without gastric resection. Surgical treatment of paraoesophageal hiatus hernia is mandatory to reduce the incidence of gastric volvulus. The possibility of gastric volvulus with hiatus hernia must be recognized.