Page created on September 14, 2021. Last updated on December 18, 2024 at 16:58
Introduction
For introduction and etiology of GERD, refer to the corresponding pathology 2 topic. For clinical features, diagnosis, and medical therapy, refer to the corresponding internal medicine topic.
Preoperative evaluation
For people being evaluated for surgical treatment of GERD, it’s important to determine that it is actually GERD which causes the patient’s complaints. Patients should undergo upper endoscopy, pH testing, and oesophageal manometry.
Surgical treatment
Surgery is indicated for GERD when standard medical therapy is insufficient to treat the patient’s symptoms. The most commonly performed surgical procedure for GERD is laparoscopic fundoplication, most often the Nissen fundoplication. In Nissen fundoplication, the gastric fundus is wrapped around the lower oesophagus and secured with stitches. This creates a “cuff” around the lower oesophageal sphincter, which prevents reflux.