Complications associated with laparoscopic anti-reflux surgery: one multispecialty clinic's experience

The records of all patients with significant complications of laparoscopic anti-reflux surgery (LARS) seen at our institution between June 1993 and September 1996 were reviewed. Specifically excluded were patients who had mild perioperative complications or postoperative dysphagia that either did not require bougienage or responded to one to two dilations. Data collected included patient demographics; type of surgery; complication and its presentation; response to medical, endoscopic, and/or surgical therapy; and outcomes.

Nine patients (five men and four women, mean age 59 years) presented at a mean of 4 months post-LARS (seven Nissen fundoplications and two Hill posterior gastropexy repairs). Symptoms included refractory dysphagia (4), intractable gas bloat (5), various degrees of chest or abdominal pain (4), and incapacitating diarrhea (3). Findings included tight repair (4), vagal nerve injury with gastroparesis (4) and/or diarrhea (3), and esophageal or gastric perforation (3). Additional findings included proximal gastric ulcers (3), volvulus (1), and incarcerated intrathoracic hernia (1). Patients with dysphagia had moderate improvement after a mean of 3 +/- 0.6 (standard error of the mean) additional dilations, whereas four patients required five reoperations to date. Seven of the nine patients had clinical improvement, whereas two had refractory symptoms at a mean follow-up of 10 months.

Although LARS has supplanted open surgery in many centers, refractory complications occur in a subset of patients and require reoperation in approximately one half of those referred to a multispecialty clinic.