Current controversies in paraesophageal hernia repair.

The management of paraesophageal hernia (PEH) has become one of the most widely debated and controversial areas in surgery. PEHs are relatively uncommon, often presenting in patients entering their seventh or eighth decades of life. Patients who have PEH often bear complicating medical comorbidities making them potentially poor operative candidates. Taking this into account makes surgical management of these patients all the more complex. Many considerations must be taken into account in formulating a management strategy for patients who have PEHs, and these considerations have led surgeons into ongoing debates in recent decades.