This option is used after trying drugs without success or if the patient has severe bleeding or other problems that may call for surgery.



The standard surgical procedure for this is called Nissen fundoplication. This was developed in the 1950's, a long and serious surgery that required the patient to be hospitalized for at least a week. You would have a painful recovery time of at least a month and end up with a 10 inch scar.

The results were slow and often the patient would have trouble swallowing. The Acid Reflux symptoms would even seem to get worse.

Much has improved over the last 25 years with laparoscopic surgery. Most of the problems are now gone. The availability of better pathological diagnostic tests has contributed to a better selection of surgical candidates.

The entire surgical procedure appears to be similar to what we would do to hold down the contents of a room when faced with a high-speed flood or typhoon.

Surgery is preformed to strengthen the Lower Esophageal Sphincter muscle by giving it support from stomach tissue. The Lower Esophageal Sphincter is the opening from the esophagus to the stomach. Therefore it makes sense to use tissue from the stomach. It is stretched to work around the sphincter and gives support when permanently established there.

Next, the hiatal hernia, or the stomach portion protruding upwards from below the diaphragm is pushed back down into place. The Hiatal hernia sac is pulled below the diaphragm and firmly attached and stitched there.. The strengthening of the Esophageal sphincter, and fixing of any possible hiatal hernia serves to reduce the overall abdominal pressure. All this essentially provides a great defense against possible backflows of gastric juice-laden food mixtures.

During such surgeries, sometimes, the scarring and ulceration of the Esophageal passage is also treated, Turns out that such surgery gives successful outcomes 95% of the time, to the extent that no medications are later required to be taken, daily by the patient to relieve the now non-existent Acid Reflux!