GERD Surgery

Minimally Invasive Surgery Effective for GERD

Minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery relieved symptoms of severe reflux disease and yielded high levels of patient satisfaction five years after the procedure, a French study found.

This form of surgery has been gaining popularity for the treatment of severe gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), the study authors noted. Only a few studies have examined five-year follow-up on large groups of people with GERD who've had the procedure.

This study included 1,340 people treated at 31 hospitals. The average follow-up was 7.1 years.

"In this study, the intraoperative and postoperative complication rates were 2.1 percent and 2.6 percent, respectively, with a subsequent operation rate of 4.4 percent at five years," the study authors wrote.

"Of interest, overall patient satisfaction following surgery was high, with 93.1 percent of patients satisfied with their long-term outcome and 94.1 percent willing to have the surgery again. Although nearly 10 percent of patients resumed taking antisecretory medication, in most no evidence of reflux recurrence could be found," they added in a prepared statement.

The findings appear in the October issue of the journal Archives of Surgery.

"In conclusion, the results of this study do not differ significantly from the data reported in the literature, suggesting that laparoscopic antireflux surgery is an effective, long-term procedure, is well tolerated, and can be properly used in the treatment of GERD," the authors wrote.

The study was led by Dr. Patrick Pessaux, of the University Hospital in Angers.