[Therapy-resistant gastro-oesophageal reflux disease: endoluminal treatment not yet sufficiently compared with the gold standard, the laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication]

Abstract

Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) is treated primarily with proton pump inhibitors. More invasive treatment is only indicated for patients with persistent symptoms or when complications occur. Anti-reflux surgery is successful in 85-90% of patients in terms of symptom control, healing of oesophagitis and normalization of oesophageal stomach-acid exposure. Laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication is the standard surgical procedure and favourable results persist for at least 5 years. Endoluminal treatment for GORD is a new development for which no long-term results are known and which can probably only be implemented in some of the patients with disease refractory to therapy. The effect of the new endoluminal treatments will have to be evaluated in randomised trials and to be compared with the medical gold standard of treatment, proton pump inhibitors, and with the surgical gold standard, laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication.