Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index Hiatus hernia or hiatal hernia is the protrusion (or hernia) of the upper part of the stomach into the thorax through a tear or weakness in the diaphragm. The symptoms include pains, similar to heartburn, in the chest and upper stomach. Surgery is recommended, although it can have minor side-effects such as increased production of stomach and intestinal gas. This article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by fixing it. This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.