Can You Have Lap Band Surgery With a Hiatal Hernia?

Lap band surgery is a procedure in which a silicone band is placed around the patient’s stomach to limit the amount he can eat. This helps the patient lose weight.

Hiatal Hernia

• Hiatal hernias occur when the stomach bulges above the diaphragm. Small hiatal hernias usually cause no symptoms, but large hiatal hernias may cause heartburn, nausea and chest pain.

Prevalence

• According to EMedicineHealth.com, hiatal hernias are fairly common. By age 60, up to 60 percent of all people have had one, though many hernias are small and asymptomatic.

Obesity

• Hiatal hernias are more common in obese people than in the general population. Therefore, a number of patients seeking lap band surgery have hiatal hernias.

Treatment

• If a hiatal hernia causes heartburn, doctors often prescribe medication to treat it. However, hiatal hernias can also be corrected with surgery. If a person is having surgery to place a lap band, the surgeon can fix the hernia at the same time.

Lap Band Surgery

• If patient has a hiatal hernia that must be repaired during lap band surgery, the operation will take a bit longer than usual. The hiatal hernia will not prevent the patient from getting a lap band, however.