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Acid Reflux: Surgical Treatments

When other treatment options do not work, acid reflux can often be treated by means of surgery.

This surgery is normally conducted only after other treatments have proven themselves to be ineffective, such as the use of prescription medicines. Surgery is also commonly performed on patients that are experiencing high levels of pain and discomfort or who bleed severely.

The Nissen fundoplication is the name of the surgical procedure that is performed in the hopes of eliminating the root of the problems presented by acid reflux.

Originally, the Nissen fundoplication was a very lengthy and serious procedure that resulted in a post surgery stay at the hospital of at least one week, not to mention a ten inch scar.

In the early days of this surgery, patients often developed worsening symptoms of acid reflux and had difficulty swallowing.

Laparoscopic surgery has made great progress technologically in the past twenty-five years. Patients are now chosen for surgery in a more efficient manner, using a pathological diagnostic test. Most problems that doctors originally had to deal with when performing this surgery have been resolved.

The surgery can be compared to what you might do to prevent the contents of a room from being washed away by a typhoon or flash flood.

Surgery is conducted to support and strengthen the Lower Esophageal Sphincter muscle by giving it support from stomach tissue. Since the Lower Esophageal Sphincter is the gateway from the esophagus to the stomach, it is natural to consider stomach tissue , which is then stretched to work around the sphincter, and permanently fixed there, so as to give the required support.

The following step is to return the part of the stomach extending out from underneath the diaphragm, called the hiatal hernia, back to its rightful location. Abdominal pressure is successfully reduced because of correcting any hiatal hernia and supporting the muscles of the esophageal sphincter. The entire procedure protects the body from gastric juice backflows that are usually brought on because of certain combinations of food.

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!

Tags: Health and Fitness