THE DIAPHRAGM is a muscular sheet that separates the chest cavity (containing the heart, lungs, esophagus and other organs) from the abdominal cavity (containing the stomach, large and small intestine, and other organs).
A hiatal hernia refers to the abnormal passage of a portion of the stomach upward into the chest through a hiatus (opening) in the diaphragm.
The vast majority (about 90 percent) of hiatal hernias are of the so-called "sliding" type, in which a portion of the stomach passes upward into the chest through a diaphragmatic opening that the esophagus normally passes through on its downward course to the stomach.
A sliding hernia tends to move in and out of the thoracic cavity across the diaphragm, although the diaphragm itself is normal.
Sliding hernias are of particular importance because they are associated with gastroesophageal reflux (the passage of acid-containing stomach contents into the esophagus).
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Kevin, I'd like to talk to you about your Acid Reflux blog. I'm with MedTrackAlert and have some content that would enrich your site. Could you contact me at ascott@medtrackalert.com? I look forward to hearing from you.
very interesting information
Acid Reflux is a common cause in many people, acid reflux disease affects 70 million americans alone
Post a Comment