Acid Reflux - Is Surgery The Best Solution?
Acid reflux is a problem that stays with someone for life. It’s caused by a weak lower esophageal sphincter and allows fluids to rise from the stomach into the esophagus which cause corrosive damage because of the acid content.
The most common symptom of acid reflux is the agony of heartburn, but there are other health risks associated with it such as Barrett’s esophagus, erosive esophagitis and esophageal cancer.
There is light on the horizon, however. There’s a new surgical procedure that is starting to get some traction for dealing with acid reflux. It’s known as the Plicator procedure and only takes about twenty minutes to complete. Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? Here is a basic explanation of what happen during the procedure.
- The Plicator, which is a small electronic device, is placed on the end of an endoscopy tube. Endoscopies are a simple procedure performed by doctors in which a tube is lowered into the digestive tract via the mouth while the patient is in a state of conscious sedation.
- Once the Plicator reaches the stomach, it is used to grab the tissue located between the stomach and the esophagus. It then closes its “arms”, crimping the tissue. A suture is placed to hold the tissue in place.
- As a result, the area between the stomach and the esophagus now has a much tighter opening. This can aid the lower esophageal sphincter in being able to successfully open and close the passageway between the stomach and the esophagus.
Those who undergo this procedure usually don’t experience any unwanted side effects, and are often back to their normal activities the following day. Several studies have been done to measure the effectiveness of the procedure for eliminating heartburn.
These studies showed that prescription heartburn medications could be eliminated in 70% of the patients who had the procedure done. Plus, 80% of the patients who had the procedure done showed improvements in their reflux symptoms afterwards.
The effects of the surgery can be seen almost suddenly; within a few days of the surgery, most people are able to wane themselves off of their heartburn medications. People who have the surgery performed commonly experience sore throats or abdominal pain after the procedure, but these problems usually clear up within a few days.
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