Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is a life-affecting condition that affects as many as 20% of the population. Given the prevalence of GERD, the quest for suitable treatment methods has been a relentless one— but often to little effect.
Anthony A. Starpoli, MD | www.starpoli.com
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Obesity, Reflux, fundoplication, atypical reflux, heartburn, EsophyX, incisionless surgery, GERD Awareness Week
Acid reflux, generally stated as Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), affecting around one-third of the American population. This disorder arises when the uppermost portion of the digestive region is not working accurately, causing stomach contents to move back into the esophagus. The most common symptoms of this disease is heartburn, the sensation of liquid or food coming up into the throat and a sour taste. The most effective therapy for relieving the symptoms of GERD is proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) such as lansoprazole, esomeprazole, and omeprazole. This is a class of medications which have emerged as the most effective therapy, improving life quality, healing and preventing the damage to the esophagus (1). PPIs work by obstructing an enzyme in the lining of the stomach which is essential for acid secretion. Side effects which some patients report comprise a headache, diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain, and nausea. They usually resolve on their own and patients can usually carry on taking their PPI medication (2). A different, incisionless, transoral endoscopic treatment has been developed to help correct the mechanical flaws of the valve between the lower esophagus and stomach that cause GERD.
Anthony A. Starpoli, MD | www.starpoli.com
As reported by Medscape, according to research presented at the Digestive Disease Week meeting, “patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) might benefit more from transoral incisionless fundoplication (TIF) than from continued treatment with proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs).” The study’s lead author Karim Trad, MD, said, “In this study, transoral incisionless fundoplication was superior to maximal-dose PPIs in eliminating daily troublesome typical and atypical symptoms in selected patients.” Dr. Trad added that the findings “establish for the first time that, for some patients, the procedure is better than maximal-dose PPI therapy for controlling a range of GERD symptoms.”
Anthony A. Starpoli, MD | www.starpoli.com
hiatal hernia, fundoplication, LINX, GERD, atypical reflux, EsophyX, incisionless surgery, esophageal cancer
So, you think you have acid reflux? What is acid reflux? Why is it called acid reflux?
Anthony A. Starpoli, MD | www.starpoli.com
Obesity, GERD, atypical reflux, nonacid reflux, heartburn, EsophyX, incisionless surgery, Barrett's Esophagus
A new laparoscopic therapy for reflux has been recently approved for the treat of reflux. The procedure requires laparoscopic surgery (small incisions in the abdomen) in order to place this new device at the level of the lower esophageal sphincter. Certain limitations will occur as the result of this procedure as will be discussed.
Anthony A. Starpoli, MD | www.starpoli.com
Reflux, hiatal hernia, TIF, LINX, GERD, atypical reflux, heartburn, EsophyX, Barrett's Esophagus
Several news agencies recently reported concerns of the FDA over the increased risk of Clostridium difficle diarrheal illness in patients using acid lowering antireflux drugs in the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
Anthony A. Starpoli, MD | www.starpoli.com
On September 7th and October 13th, 2011, the first two combined laparoscopic and transoral antireflux procedures were performed at the New York Univerisity Langone Medical Center in New York City.
Anthony A. Starpoli, MD | www.starpoli.com
Reflux, hiatal hernia, TIF, fundoplication, GERD, LPR, atypical reflux, heartburn, EsophyX, Barrett's Esophagus
In a retrospective study from Japan, the chronic use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), often used in the treatment of GERD, was found to be associated with a greater than 3-fold increased risk of developing Clostridium difficile–associated diarrhea (CDAD), Takatoshi Kitazawa, MD, assistant professor at Teikyo University in Tokyo, Japan, reported during a poster session at the 51st Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.
Anthony A. Starpoli, MD | www.starpoli.com
Today Dr. Starpoli will be hosted on the Doctor Radio show to discuss GERD and transoral incisionless fundoplication with EsophyX. This procedure serves as an alternative to chronic, long-term drug therapy that millions of people world-wide must take to control their reflux. Given new information on the perils of long-term drug therapy for reflux, antireflux surgery is being more considered every day.
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Anthony A. Starpoli, MD | www.starpoli.com
TIF, doctor radio, GERD, atypical reflux, heartburn, EsophyX, Barrett's Esophagus
A report was published in the May 18 issue ofA report was published in the May 18 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association. In, what is referred to as the LOTUS (Long-Term Usage of Esomeprazole vs Surgery for Treatment of Chronic GERD) study, remission rates at five years were 92% (95% CI 89 to 96) for patients on esomeprazole and 85% (95% CI 81 to 90, P=0.048) for those who had laparoscopic antireflux surgery, according to Jean-Paul Galmiche, MD, of Nantes University in France, and colleagues.
Anthony A. Starpoli, MD | www.starpoli.com
