Researchers examined how laparoscopic hiatal hernia repair followed by Transoral Incisionless Fundoplication impacted gastroesophageal reflux disease patients' clinical outcomes in a study published in the Journal of the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons.
Researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of 97 GERD patients evaluated between October 2015 and December 2017. They followed-up with the patients at a mean of 296 days. Fifty-five of 97 patients had hiatal hernia repair with concomitant TIF 2.0. Of those patients, 29 had matched pre- and postoperative assessments.
What they found:
1. Twenty-two patients had intact hiatal hernia and TIF procedure repairs to be examined.
2. Twenty-one patients or 95 percent had normalized pH scores.
3. The patients' pH scores improved from a baseline of 35.3 to 10.9 at the follow-up appointment.
4. Patients reported improved health-related quality of life scores from a baseline of 33.75 to 9.07 at follow-up.
5. The patients also reported improved Reflux Symptom Index scores from a baseline of 20.32 to 8.07 at follow-up.
EndoGastric Solutions President and CEO Skip Baldino commented on the results saying, "This is an important advance for patients with hiatal defects of two centimeters or more, as the data show improved objective and subjective assessments of GERD symptoms. We look forward to additional prospective studies to provide physicians with additional data surrounding improved outcomes for their patients utilizing this approach."