[Anti-reflux surgery in patients with adequate response to proton pump inhibitors - is there an indication?]

The indication for anti-reflux-surgery in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) who are totally symptom-free under conservative treatment with proton pump inhibitors (PPI) is still seen controversially. Arguments for PPI-treatment include the missing trauma and few side-effects, arguments against include the life-time-long drug intake. We prospectively observed the indication of anti-reflux-surgery in symptom-free patients in comparison to patients with remaining symptoms under treatment with PPI.

Between January 1999 and December 2001, 317 patients with GERD were treated by laparoscopic hemifundoplication and grouped in patients with adequate response to PPI (n = 103) and patients with residual discomfort in spite of or by PPI (n = 214). Preoperative diagnostic included endoscopy, ph-testing, manometry and quality of life scoring by a standardized questionnaire. Peri- and postoperative morbidity as well as quality of life were analyzed and compared with healthy individuals (n = 50).

Patient demographics and surgical procedures did not differ between the two groups. After a median follow-up of 49 months and a follow-up rate of 89.9 %, the recurrence rate was 2.5 % and perioperative complication rate was 6.3 % without any significant differences between the groups. Patients with GERD and adequate response to PPI showed preoperatively during PPI omission a significant lower incidence of esophagitis (3.9 % vs. 18.2 %) and higher quality of life score (93.7 +/- 11.3 vs. 75.3 +/- 12.6), which significantly decreased in comparison to healthy individuals (132.9 +/- 10.5). After anti-reflux surgery the quality of life has been increased in both groups (130.5 +/- 11.4 vs. 121.8 +/- 13.2). However, only patients with adequate response to PPI reached the quality of life score of healthy individuals.

Patients with preoperatively adequate response to PPI profit of anti-reflux surgery in terms of postoperative quality of life. Concerning the indication for anti-reflux surgery in these patients, one has to balance between the individual inconvenience due to the long-lasting drug intake on the one hand and the operative risk, morbidity and outcome of a specialized surgical department on the other hand.