Abstract
The esophagogastric junction and the esophageal hiatus represent an anatomic unit which functionally resembles the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) [6, 7]. Furthermore, the LES must also be regarded as one functional unit together with the tubular esophagus and the upper esophageal sphincter (UES). Acknowledgment of these functional units seems of crucial importance for hiatal hernia surgery, due to the important effects on esophageal function, i.e., esophageal emptying and antireflux mechanisms.