The Roentgen lncidence of Hiatal Hernia and Colonic Di verticula in Korea

The incidence of hiatal hernia has been reported by many authors and varied from 2.3% to 50%. Boyd3) found an incidence of 2.3% in 1, 500 barium examinations. Krothe,13) quoted by Bockus, reported an 8% incidence. Hafter7) noted a frequency of 12.5% in a large 않ries of 2,402 barium meal examinations. 1n 1960, Stein23) reported 50% in 100 consecutive barium meal examinations. These wide variations in the reported incidence of hiatal hernia may be attributable in part to the technique used to demonstrate a hiatal hernia and the diagnostic criteria used in the diagnosis of a hiatal hernia. Diverticulosis of the colon is ' genera l1y considered as a disease of the late decade of life and its incidence increases with age. Spriggs,'3) as quoted by Shanks, found 10% in 3.000 barium examinations and Groud6) reported about 8% in 2, 179 conscecutive barium examinations. However, it has been our impression that hiatal hernia and diverticulosis of the colon are rare in Korea. Diverticulosis of the colon is practica l1y an unknown condition in the pure 1ndian population of the Peruvian Andes 23 ). This condition is also very rare in Japanease and only about 30 cases of colonic diverticula were reported up to 1958, and most of them were single diverticulum. 25 ) With these facts in mind, we decited to make a special effort to demonstrate a hiatal hernia in 1,000 consecutive patients, refered to our Departmeat of Radiology for roentgen examination of the upper gastrointestinal tract from Jan. 1963 to Oct. 1964 and reviewed 500 cases of the consecutive enema examinations carried out between J띠y 1962 and June 1963 in patients 20 years or more of age.