People With Reflux Should Consider Surgery
New British research finds that people with persistent heartburn should consider early laparoscopic fundoplication surgery to prevent a lifetime of medication.
The operation involves wrapping a piece of the stomach around the esophagus to create a new valve to prevent acid backing up from the stomach. Surgeons previously performed the operation by opening up the chest cavity, but keyhole surgery now makes the procedure much safer.
In conducting their study, researchers at the University of Aberdeen coordinated a trial of laparoscopic fundoplication surgery for 800 patients at 21 hospitals throughout Britain. The results showed that one year after keyhole surgery, only 14% of patients still required medication, compared with 90% of those treated with drugs alone.
The research suggests that surgery is more cost-effective because reflux sufferers no longer require medication and also gain improvements in quality of life. The study’s results also suggest that surgery should be routinely performed in patients with chronic acid reflux.
However, experts say some doctors view such surgery as "too extreme".
The scientists will now follow the patients for five years to assess the long-term benefits.
Reflux is a very common condition experienced by 20% of the population at some point in their lives. Those with more severe forms of reflux typically require life long medication, and few currently opt for surgery.
"It looks pretty promising,” Professor Adrian Grant, who led the study, told BBC News.
"I think these results will mean that surgeons will be suggesting the operation in those patients who are not quite so bad."
"Like all surgery, fundoplication has some risks, but the more troublesome the symptoms, the greater the potential benefit from the operation."
Professor Roger Jones, head of general practice at King’s College London and chair of the Primary Care Gastroenterology Society, told BBC News that surgery is often considered "too extreme" for something not seen as a serious health problem.
"But for some people, it is a serious problem which could potentially mean a lifetime of tablet taking."
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