Hiatal Hernia Surgery Doctors In St. Petersburg, FL

If you have scoliosis or another spinal curve, your hiatal hernia is more likely to come back after repair, and research from right across the bay backs that up. A 2023 study from the University of South Florida and Tampa General reviewed 546 hiatal hernia repairs and found that the 15.8% of patients with a spinal deformity, most often scoliosis, had a recurrence rate of 47.7%, compared with 30% in patients without one. Their hernias also returned sooner, at a median of about 10 months versus 19, and tended to be larger, more complex Type III and IV hernias.

That finding rarely appears on the doctor and hospital pages that rank for hiatal hernia surgery, yet it is directly relevant to Tampa Bay patients. It is also a good reason to map the anatomy in detail before surgery. For a spinal curve, or any anatomy that raises the odds of recurrence, the pre-surgery conversation should cover imaging, whether reinforcing the repair makes sense, and a closer follow-up plan. Ask any surgeon you consult how they account for it.

A normal endoscopy does not rule out reflux or a hiatal hernia. Endoscopy looks for damage, such as inflammation or Barrett’s, and it can miss a small hernia entirely. It does not measure whether reflux is happening, how often, or whether it is causing your symptoms. So Dr. Grandhige confirms the mechanical problem with objective testing before recommending any repair, because each test answers a different question.

pH or pH-impedance monitoring records reflux over 24 to 72 hours during normal life and shows whether reflux is real and whether it lines up with your symptoms. Esophageal manometry measures the strength and coordination of the esophagus, which decides whether a full wrap is safe or a partial one is smarter, and it catches conditions like achalasia that mimic reflux but get worse after anti-reflux surgery. A barium swallow shows how you actually swallow and clarifies the shape of a hernia. For throat symptoms, a specialized dual-channel probe measures reflux reaching the voice box, not just the lower esophagus.

This is also why the practice operates on fewer patients than a symptom-only approach would. Many people arrive expecting surgery and leave with a non-surgical plan, and that restraint is deliberate. For silent reflux (LPR) in particular, only about half to sixty percent of patients test as surgical candidates, and Dr. Grandhige reports that careful selection raises the odds of meaningful improvement from roughly 50% to about 80%. In appropriately selected patients with typical reflux, he reports symptom relief and freedom from daily medication in more than 95% of cases. Outcomes vary with anatomy, motility, and disease severity, and he sets those expectations before a decision, not after.

The office is at 1315 South Howard Avenue, Suite 101, in South Tampa’s SoHo district, in a yellow brick building next to Sally O’Neill’s Pizza, with parking behind the restaurant. From St. Petersburg it is about 25 to 30 minutes over the Gandy Bridge. You can reach the office at 813-922-2920.

Before your visit, gather your prior records: endoscopy and pathology reports, any pH or manometry results, imaging, notes from your GI, ENT, or pulmonary doctors, and a current medication list. Emailing them to info@tampareflux.com ahead of time lets Dr. Grandhige review everything before you sit down, so the consultation is spent on answers. The path is efficient once you are a patient: one visit if your testing is already complete, two if it is not, and typically four to eight weeks from the first visit to surgery when a repair is indicated. Most patients are seen within two weeks.

You have probably spent years managing symptoms instead of fixing what is causing them. Start with a diagnosis. Find out whether a hiatal hernia is behind your reflux, and if it is, which of the four repairs fits your anatomy. If you are in St. Petersburg and tired of guessing, that answer is a short drive across the bay.