[Ulcers of the neck in hiatal hernias. Perforation into the free peritoneum (author's transl)].

Perforation into the free peritoneum of ulcers of the neck of hiatal hernias is a rare complication. On the basis of one case, which would appear to be the third reported in the literature but the only one in which the special circumstances resulted in the diagnosis being made preoperatively, the authors propose a new therapeutic attitude based upon the physiopathology of ulcers of the neck, combining suturing and reduction of the hernia with anterior repositioning of the greater curvature of the stomach, mobilised according to Thal's technique, and thereby simultaneously producing an anterior hemi-valve.