Stacey Colino

If you have persistent heartburn, you may be wondering, Can heartburn surgery fix this? The answer is: maybe.

After all, not every heartburn sufferer is a candidate for heartburn surgery; plus, complications can occur with any medical procedure. 

Are You a Candidate for Heartburn Surgery?

“To be a candidate for anti-reflux surgery, you have to have heartburn and regurgitation daily for longer than a month,” says Dr. Dmitry Oleynikov, a surgeon specializing in diseases of the esophagus and stomach and the director of minimally invasive surgery at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. In addition, heartburn surgery may be warranted if you:

-- Have chronic or persistent reflux that isn’t getting better with medication

-- Are unable or unwilling to take medication regularly

-- Have a large hiatal hernia

-- Have reflux-related complications such as strictures (narrowing of the esophagus), ulcers or bleeding in the esophagus, or a precancerous condition called Barrett’s esophagus

How Heartburn Surgery Can Ease Symptoms

“The gold standard of [surgical] therapy is laparoscopic anti-reflux surgery, which is sometimes called the laparoscopic wrap,” says Oleynikov. The goal is to tighten the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), the valve at the base of the esophagus that’s supposed to prevent food and acid from flowing up out of the stomach. This is achieved by wrapping tissue from the upper part of the stomach around the lower part of the esophagus and suturing it in place.

While traditional heartburn surgery requires a large incision, today’s minimally invasive procedures are performed laparoscopically (with tiny incisions and a camera that’s inserted through the abdominal wall) or endoscopically (using a flexible tube with a light and a camera that’s inserted through the mouth and down the throat). “When the surgery is done laparoscopically, there’s faster healing and recovery, and less postoperative pain for the patient,” notes Dr. Mitchell S. Cappell, chief of gastroenterology at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich.

Risks of Heartburn Surgery

As with all medical procedures, heartburn surgery is not without its dangers. Complications -- ranging from reactions to anesthesia and even to death in rare cases -- can result from any surgery. And with heartburn surgery, some people may develop a recurrence of chronic heartburn down the road, especially if they gain weight or start smoking, notes Oleynikov.

The Bottom Line

Heartburn surgery is not for everyone, and it does not provide a guaranteed fix for the rest of your life. But for some patients, it offers the potential to be free of medication and feel so much better afterward.

Stacey Colino has written for The Washington Post health section and many national magazines, including Newsweek, Real Simple, Woman's Day, Self, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Parenting, Sports Illustrated and Ladies' Home Journal.

 

Available at Amazon.com:

No More Digestive Problem

 

 

NEWS & CURRENT EVENTS ...

WORLD | AFRICA | ASIA | EUROPE | LATIN AMERICA | MIDDLE EAST | UNITED STATES | ECONOMICS | EDUCATION | ENVIRONMENT | FOREIGN POLICY | POLITICS

 

Health - Is Heartburn Surgery the Answer?