A member asked:

Can you see a hiatal hernia from outside your skin ?

9 doctors weighed in across 5 answers

Nope: A hiatal hernia involves part of your stomach sliding up next to your swallowing tube into the chest cavity. It would not be something you would see outside your body like a hernia in the groin area.

Answered 9/28/2016

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Nope: A hiatal hernia is an entirely intraabdominal (inside your abdominal cavity) phenomenon. It occurs when a part of your stomach slides up into the chest cavity next to your esophagus. This is unlike hernias one might get in the groin where you can see the bulge through the skin. If you have a bulge in the middle of your abdomen that you can see outside it might be a ventral hernia which is a weakness of your abdominal muscles.

Answered 11/30/2019

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Dr. Michael Sawyer answered

Specializes in General Surgery

No: The answer is unequivocally no. The structures involved, including the stomach, esophagus and diaphragm, are seated too deeply in the body to be observed at skin level.

Answered 1/6/2015

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No: Hiatal hernia is abnormal movement of the upper stomach through the diaphragm, deep in the abdomen.

Answered 3/16/2013

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No: Hiatal hernia occurs through the esophageal hiatus in the diaphragm, which is deep inside the upper body.

Answered 1/11/2017

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