Is surgery ever an option to treat reflux disease?
Yes. Surgery is a very good option to treat reflux disease. Patients on antiacids who have worsening symptoms, or who are relatively young with a long life expectancy are good candidates for surgery. The surgery consists of wrapping the stomach around the esophagus to create a new valve around the esophagus and thus prevent the regurgitation and reflux of gastric contents. This can be done in the vast majority of patients with a laparoscopic approach so as to avoid a larger incision and thus eliminate many of the complications of open surgery. Individuals who are overweight are not good candidates for surgery as their increased abdominal weight often causes failure of the surgical wrap over time.
