Randomized Trial of Medical versus Surgical Treatment for Refractory Heartburn

Stuart J Spechler¹, John G Hunter¹, Karen M Jones¹+36

• ¹From the Department of Medicine and Center for Esophageal Diseases, Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, Baylor Scott & White Health, and the Department of Medicine, Veterans Affairs (VA) North Texas Health Care System (S.J.S., R.F.S.), and the Departments of Medicine (K.B.D.), Surgery (T.H.P.), and Pathology (S.D.M.), VA North Texas Health Care System and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, and the Department of Pathology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston (R.M.G.); the Departments of Surgery (J.G.H.) and Medicine (D.L.), Oregon Health and Science University, and the Department of Medicine, VA Portland Health Care System (D.L.) - both in Portland; the VA Cooperative Studies Program Coordinating Center, Perry Point (K.M.J., T.S., K.B.), and the Departments of Medicine (E.C.R.) and Surgery (J.P.P.), VA Maryland Health Care System and University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore - all in Maryland; the Departments of Medicine (R.L.) and Surgery (B.R.S.), VA Long Beach Healthcare System and University of California, Irvine, Irvine, the Departments of Medicine (C.S.J., R.S.F., B.S.C.) and Surgery (J.M.W.), VA Loma Linda Healthcare System and Loma Linda University Medical Center, Loma Linda, and the Department of Surgery, University of Southern California, Los Angeles (A.W.K.) - all in California; the Department of Medicine, VA Boston Healthcare System, Harvard Medical School (H.M., W.-K.L.), and the Department of Surgery, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston University School of Medicine (V.M.S.), Boston; the Departments of Medicine (U.K.M.) and Surgery (T.K.), Syracuse VA Medical Center and SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY; the Department of Medicine, VA Connecticut Healthcare System and Yale University, New Haven, CT (L.L.); the Departments of Medicine (A.M.K., S.C.P.) and Surgery (R.P.T.), VA Puget Sound Health Care System and University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle; the Departments of Medicine (Z.F.G., D.P.) and Surgery (S.L.-D.), Durham VA Medical Center and Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC; the Departments of Medicine (J.H.R.) and Surgery (A.A.G.), VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, and the Departments of Medicine (J.H.R., W.D.C.) and Surgery (A.A.G.), University of Michigan - both in Ann Arbor; the Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston (D.O.C.); the VA Cooperative Studies Program Clinical Research Pharmacy Coordinating Center, Albuquerque, NM (S.R.W., A.D.-K.); and the VA Office of Research and Development, Washington, DC (G.D.H.).