Lesions brought on by vomiting: the effect of hiatus hernia of the site of injury.

From an extensive review of the published cases of lesions of the esophagus and stomach brought about by vomiting and a supplemental review of local experience with the Mallory-Weiss syndrome, the influence of hiatus hernia on the lesion site can now be defined. Mallory-Weiss lesions located in the gastric cardia are commonly associated with hiatus hernia. By contrast, those occurring in the distal esophagus and those that overlie the cardioesophageal junction are only rarely associated with hernia. The Boerhaave lesion occurs most probably in the absence of hiatus hernia and in 2 of 3 previously reported cases wherein a hernia was present, a combined gastroesophageal rupture occurred. A newly recognized postemetic form of gastric rupture is clearly distinguished from other causes of this lesion and its characteristic location is described. A unifying hypothesis is proposed in which the location of lesions occurring during emesis is determined by the presence of a hiatus hernia during retching.