Discordant Emptying From Hiatal Hernia and Stomach With Severe Esophageal Reflux Demonstrated by Gastric Scintigraphy

There have been numerous reports on the efficacy of gastric emptying scintigraphy and their evaluation of hiatal hernias. We report the case of a 71-year-old woman sent for gastric scintigraphy prior to lung transplantation. The patient had a known history of hiatal hernia (seen on a prior CT scan), which demonstrated a significant delay in emptying in addition to reflux into the proximal esophagus on gastric scintigraphy. Interestingly, the patientʼs gastric emptying rate was normal.