Conference Report - Improving the Results of Antireflux Operations
Conference Report - Improving the Results of Antireflux Operations
Laparoscopic antireflux procedures are being used with increasing frequency to treat abnormal gastroesophageal reflux in the Western world. Indeed, it is estimated that over 30,000 such procedures will be performed this year in the United States alone. As experience has grown and the technique been refined, many reports have now shown that heartburn and regurgitation -- the most common symptoms caused by this disease -- are corrected in over 90% of patients. However, the success rate has been less among patients whose initial presentation includes atypical symptoms, such as laryngitis, asthma, chest pain, and cough and among those in whom functional evaluation discloses the presence of an associated hypomotility of the esophagus.
At the recent annual meeting of the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) held in St. Louis, Missouri, April 18-21, 2001, several presentations addressed these topics and suggested ways to improve upon the results of surgery in this patient population.
Laparoscopic antireflux procedures are being used with increasing frequency to treat abnormal gastroesophageal reflux in the Western world. Indeed, it is estimated that over 30,000 such procedures will be performed this year in the United States alone. As experience has grown and the technique been refined, many reports have now shown that heartburn and regurgitation -- the most common symptoms caused by this disease -- are corrected in over 90% of patients. However, the success rate has been less among patients whose initial presentation includes atypical symptoms, such as laryngitis, asthma, chest pain, and cough and among those in whom functional evaluation discloses the presence of an associated hypomotility of the esophagus.
At the recent annual meeting of the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) held in St. Louis, Missouri, April 18-21, 2001, several presentations addressed these topics and suggested ways to improve upon the results of surgery in this patient population.
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