School: University of Chicago

A 51-year-old man seeks medical attention for intermittent chest pain. He describes the pain as “burning” and it has become increasingly frequent after meals over the last 4 to 6 months. In addition, he experiences regurgitation, and often wakes up at night with a feeling of choking. He has also noted hoarseness and cough. Proton pump inhibitors are very helpful for the heartburn and chest pain but do not improve the regurgitation. Long-term results have shown that a fundoplication provides control of reflux in about 90% of patients. To achieve these results the surgeon should focus on the technical elements of the operation, rather than on the eponyms. The technical elements of the operation are the following: (1) division of the short gastric vessels to achieve complete fundic mobilization; (2) extensive dissection of the distal esophagus in the posterior mediastinum to bring the gastroesophageal junction at least 3 cm below the diaphragm; (3) meticulous closure of the right and left pillar of the crus with non-absorbable sutures; (4) use of a bougie to decrease postoperative dysphagia; (5) a short fundoplication with three interrupted stitches placed at 1 cm of distance from each other (2-2.5 cm long). All these technical elements have been shown to positively impact long-term outcomes. Patients who are still symptomatic postoperatively must be thoroughly evaluated to identify the cause of failure, and treatment must be individualized.

by
Ciro Andolfi (The University of Chicago Medicine)
Marco G. Patti (The University of Chicago Medicine)

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17797/287pfs38ls

Editor Recruited By: Jeffrey Matthews, MD