Esophageal hiatal hernia. Case report of a dog and a cheetah.

Case reports of a paraesophageal hiatal hernia in a French bulldog and an invagination of the stomach into the esophagus in a cheetah are presented. In both cases there was an enlarged hiatus and in the cheetah the hiatus was clearly bounded by a muscular loop. Treatment consisted of surgical narrowing of the hiatus. The pathophysiology of hiatal hernia is discussed with reference to experimental studies in dogs.