Adjuvant Botulinum Toxin Type A on the Management of Giant Hiatal Hernia: A Case Report

The management of giant hiatal hernias (HHs) remains challenging and is associated with a high risk of recurrence. Currently, several strategies are used to reduce recurrence, and a newly proposed trend is the administration of adjuvant botulinum toxin type A (BTX), a procedure already performed in complex ventral hernias. Here, we present a case of a 63-year-old man with a giant paraesophageal HH type IV containing the entire stomach and transverse colon with loss of domain, who underwent adjuvant BTX and subsequently laparoscopic hiatoplasty with a biological mesh with partial fundoplication. At six months' follow-up, the patient reported a significant improvement in the quality of life without dysphagia or gastroesophageal reflux and with a good respiratory function. A control computed tomography was performed, which documented a partial recurrence of HH, completely asymptomatic. This clinical case showed the successful treatment of a giant HH using adjuvant BTX injection to increase abdominal wall compliance as had already been described in the treatment of complex ventral hernia. Thus, the use of BTX is a promising strategy for selected cases of giant HHs mainly if there is a loss of domain; however, more case series and controlled trials are needed to show the reproducibility of the benefit of this strategy.