Is the severity of gastroesophageal reflux dependent on hiatus hernia size?

Table 1 Percentages of symptoms graded 2 or 3 for pharyngeal burn sensation, heartburn, acid regurgitation in all three hernia groups

Hiatus hernia size	Pbr	Hbr	Acr	Chest pain	GER (%) (ranges)
< 3 cm (n = 25)	36%	40%	40%	40%	2.2% (0%-9.0%)
3 to < 5 cm (n = 25)	48%	44%	44%	40%	1.9% (0%-25.3%)
5 cm more (n = 25)	56%	48%	56%	44%	5.4% (0%-55.7%)

Median values and ranges of 24-h pH test (GER %) are given. Pbr: Pharyngeal burn sensation; Hbr: Heartburn; Acr: Acid regurgitation; GER: Gastroesophageal reflux.

Table 2 Mean scores for pathological and normal gastroesophageal reflux in patients with small, medium or large hiatus hernias

Hiatus hernia size	Pathological GER Score sum (MV)	Normal GER Score sum (MV)
< 3 cm (n = 25)	3.5 (n = 6)	2.8 (n = 19)
3 to < 5 cm (n = 25)	6.7 (n = 6)	3.3 (n = 19)
5 cm or more (n = 25)	5.8 (n = 16)	2.7 (n = 9)

GER: Gastroesophageal reflux.