Laparoscopic antirefiux surgery provides excellent results and quality of life in gastroesophageal refiux disease patients with respiratory symptoms

• Published in: Journal of gastrointestinal surgery Vol. 9; no. 5; p. 633
• Main Authors: Ciovica, Ruxandra, Gadenstätter, Michael, Klingler, Anton, Neumayer, Christoph, Schwab, Gerhard P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer Nature B.V 01.06.2005
• Subjects: Disease; Drug therapy; Older people; Quality of life; Surgery
• ISSN: 1091-255X; 1873-4626
• DOI: 10.1016/j.gassur.2005.02.008

Medical and surgical treatment are able to improve symptoms in patients with gastroesophageal refiux disease(GERD).Theaim of this study was to evaluate the outcomefollowing laparoscopic antirefiux surgery in GERD patients with primary respiratory-related symptoms and to investigate the quality of life index before and after therapy. Three hundred thirty-eight consecutive patients underwent surgical treatment for GERD-induced symptoms. Of this group 126 patients had primary respiratory symptoms related to GERD. All patients were studied by means of a symptom questionnaire, endoscopy, esophageal manometry, 24-hour esophageal pH monitoring, and a barium esophagogram. In addition, the quality of life was measured by the means of the Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (GIQLI). All patients had medical therapy with proton pump inhibitors preoperatively. A laparoscopic fundoplication was performed in all patients. The outcome was assessed 3 and 12 months postoperatively. Following surgery, all respiratory symptoms were significantly improved. While GIQLI was highly impaired before surgical therapy, a significant improvement of quality of life was obtained. Because medical treatment is likely to fail in GERD patients with respiratory symptoms, the need for surgery arises and may be the only successful treatment in the long term. Quality of life was significantly improved by surgical treatment.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]