Complications of Mesh Repair in Hiatal Surgery: About 3 Cases and Review of the Literature

Primary repair of large hiatal hernia is associated with high recurrence rate. The use of prosthetic mesh to reinforce the cure seems to lead to less recurrence. Unfortunately, this procedure is still controversial in regard of the possible complications that may occur. We report here 3 cases of complications related to mesh placement in hiatal hernia surgery: an esophageal perforation, an intragastric migration, and a fundic erosion. When a patient complains of epigastric pain or dysphagia with no peritoneal signs, in the postoperative course of mesh placement, an upper endoscopy should be achieved to rule out those complications. The patient must be informed about the mesh placement and he must notify the endoscopist in case of an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy.