# Incidental Discovery of Asymptomatic Stage IV Hiatal Hernia With Complete Gastric Thoracic Herniation: A Case Report

## TL;DR

A 79-year-old woman had a rare asymptomatic stage IV hiatal hernia discovered after a fall, highlighting the possibility of severe hernias without symptoms.

## Contribution

This case report presents a rare asymptomatic stage IV hiatal hernia, expanding understanding of its clinical variability.

## Key findings

- A stage IV hiatal hernia was found incidentally in an asymptomatic elderly woman.
- The hernia involved complete gastric thoracic herniation but caused no symptoms.
- The discovery occurred following a mechanical fall, not due to hernia-related symptoms.

## Abstract

Hiatal hernia is a gastrointestinal disorder characterized by abnormal displacement of a portion of the stomach into the thoracic cavity. It has multiple stages ranging from type I-IV according to severity. The more severe the hernia, the more likely it will produce symptoms, and it would be unlikely for it to be asymptomatic. In this case report, we describe a rare situation in which a 79-year-old woman's type IV hiatal hernia was incidentally found after she suffered a mechanical fall.