Hiatal Hernia Repair

A hiatal hernia is when a portion of the stomach bulges through the diaphragm.  This can lead to reflux (GERD) but can also cause chest pain, difficulty swallowing, and regurgitation.  Repairing the hernia involves bring the stomach down out of the diaphragm and stitching the diaphragm muscles together to prevent recurrence.

Michael Feiz, M.D., F.A.C.S. has been performing hiatal hernia repairs for many years and has helped countless patients by relieving the pain, stress and long-term health risks associated with hiatal hernias.

How is Hiatal Hernia Repair Performed?

Like a great many modern procedures, a hiatal hernia repair is typically performed with the use of minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery. In this type of procedure, the use of a miniaturized camera and advanced miniature instruments allows for a minimum number of extremely small incisions to correct the hiatal hernia. When executed by a highly skilled and experienced surgeon like Dr. Feiz, the procedure has a consistent record of success.

Hiatal Hernias and Obesity

Many cases of GERD and hiatal hernia are directly related to obesity. In cases where patients have severe obesity, it may make sense to obtain both a weight loss procedure and a hiatal hernia repair at the same time. As one of Southern California’s best known and most respected board-certified bariatric surgeons, Dr. Feiz has often performed procedures such as sleeve gastrectomy in combination with a hiatal hernia repair. While it is always advisable for patients to control their weight on their own when possible, as most of us know, losing weight and keeping it off can be an extremely difficult task, and it’s all that much harder for people with more severe weight problems.  A patient who has a BMI (body mass index) of 40 or over, or 30 and over with weight-related health problems, including GERD, may qualify for a procedure.

Getting Started

The only way to find out whether you are a candidate for a hiatal hernia and/or a weight loss procedure is through a consultation with a qualified physician. Dr. Feiz is happy to meet with anyone suffering from symptoms of a hiatal hernia and/or obesity. To get started, please call us at the number on this page or reach out to us via e-mail via our contact page.