WordNet
n. hernia resulting from the protrusion of part of the stomach through the diaphragm [syn: hiatal hernia, diaphragmatic hernia]
Wikipedia
A hiatus hernia or hiatal hernia is the protrusion (or herniation) of the upper part of the stomach into the thorax through the esophageal hiatus because of a tear or weakness in the diaphragm. Hiatus hernias often result in heartburn but may also cause chest pain or pain with eating.
The most common cause is obesity. The diagnosis is often by endoscopy or medical imaging.
A hiatus hernia may be treated with lifestyle changes such as raising the head of the bed, weight loss, and adjusting eating habits. Medications such as H2 blockers or proton pump inhibitors may help. If the symptoms do not improve with medications the surgery known as laparoscopic fundoplication may be an option.
Usage examples of "hiatus hernia".
Then, as I was being offered condolences by my father's dental assistants and by Bill Starbuck, the aged town doctor, and by an old high school buddy who'd just lost his own father, and I saw in their eyes the pain they felt and thought I was feeling, the pain of the loss of a father--rather than my feelings for my particular father-- then I really sobbed, recalling the good golf games, swept by guilt that I had been cool to him the last tune, with Jill, and that I'd missed the diagnosis: the hiatus hernia pain was not his stomach but his heart--one clue in hindsight being the astonishing fact of his quitting golf before the eighteenth hole--and maybe I could have saved him if I had been a better real doctor.