Outcomes of partial fundoplication for GERD-related allograft decline after lung transplantation

Gastroesophageal reflux disease contributes to allograft decline secondary to bronchiolitis obliterans after lung transplantation. Antireflux surgery (ARS) slows the decline in lung function related to GERD. ARS operations range from Nissen fundoplications to partial fundoplications, such as the Toupet and Dor. Research in the general population has indicated that partial fundoplication is effective at controlling reflux. We explored lung function and reflux outcomes in a cohort of lung transplant patients who received partial fundoplications.

Data from an institutional lung transplant registry was reviewed for patients between 2009 and 2020 who underwent fundoplication after transplant. Lung transplant patients underwent routine pulmonary function testing. Patients with FEV1 values within 180 days pre-fundoplication and two years post-fundoplication were included in the analysis. All patients referred for fundoplication underwent esophageal pH testing, manometry, UGI, and EGD. Most patients underwent Toupet fundoplication, but those with severe dysmotility underwent Dor fundoplication.

53 patients were included in the analysis. Median time to fundoplication after transplant was 403 days. 48 patients underwent Toupet fundoplication. Five underwent Dor fundoplication. 40% of patients had abnormal high-resolution manometry. A linear mixed-effects model tested for a change in FEV1 trajectory up to two years post-fundoplication with an auto-regressive correlation structure. Post-fundoplication FEV1 values decreased by 7 mL per month, and suggested a slow in the decline by 2 mL per month, but this was not significant (p = 0.8). In patients for whom postoperative DeMeester scores were available (19), there was a decline in acid exposure from a median of 45.8 to 1.8 after ARS (p = 0.0003).

Although our results did not reach statistical significance, there was a trend towards a decrease in the rate of decline of allograft function before and after partial fundoplication. In the patients whom results were available, a partial fundoplication appropriately controlled acid exposure.