[Laparoscopic fundoplication for gastroesophageal reflux. Apropos of our first 123 patients]

From July 1991 to March 1997, 123 patients underwent laparoscopic fundoplication. Surgical indications were as follows: either failure of medical therapy, or early recurrence of symptoms after interruption of medical treatment in young patients or large hiatal hernia associated with symptoms of reflux and/or symptoms of mediastinal compression. The type of the wrap was tailored to the preoperative manometry: circumferential fundoplication was achieved in patients with normal esophageal motility, and partial wrap in patients with altered motility. Short gastric vessels were not routinely divided. One hundred and eleven circumferential fundoplications were performed: 52 with division of short gastric vessels and 49 without, whereas there were 22 partial wraps. In 4 cases, it was necessary to switch to open surgery (conversion rate: 3.2%): 2 enlarged left liver lobes, one esophageal tear and one splenic injury. Six postoperative complications were observed (morbidity rate: 4.8%), one of whom was severe and led to the patient's death due to necrosis of the fundus. After a mean follow-up of 1.7 +/- 1.4 years, 4 patients have transient recurrent reflux, 3 patients have had annoying dysphagia requiring balloon dilatation in one case and reoperation in two cases. Four patients experienced a late thoracic migration: in one case after a violent physical effort, requiring urgent reoperation; in the other three cases, the migration remained asymptomatic. The pH- and manometric study performed in 41 consecutive patients before and after surgery allows objective evaluation of the results.