Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyze the characteristics of the pathway from the onset of clinical findings related to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) until the surgical therapy to achieve a better organization of the multiple disciplines and create the best management scheme in a referral center in Turkey.
Patients and methods: All patients who underwent anti-reflux surgery for GERD in our unit between 2000 - 2006 were retrospectively reviewed. Information on their past medical follow-up, the clinical findings, diagnostic evaluation and the therapeutic approach was recorded.
Results: There were 24 girls and 40 boys with a median age of 36 months (3 - 192 months). Of the 64 cases, 36 (56.3 %) had a history of past medical follow-up. Of these 36 patients, 20 had received medical and/or surgical therapy for GERD without any standardization. The remaining 16 were treated supportively for neurological, respiratory and metabolic problems without having had a diagnosis of GERD. The median duration of symptoms in 28 patients without a past medical history was shorter than that in the remaining 36 patients (p = 0.03). Of the 64 patients at presentation, 35 had neurological, 4 had metabolic, and 3 had a respiratory pathology; the other 4 had a history of esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula operation; 5 had been operated in another center for GERD and only 13 cases had isolated GERD. The most commonly used diagnostic methods were contrast study (n = 52) and pH monitoring (n = 36). Forty-one of the 64 had anti-reflux surgery primarily after presentation, in addition to selection of medical therapies and/or other surgical interventions as a first step in the remaining 23. Reevaluation of those 23 patients after a median period of 7 months (1 - 36) finally led to anti-reflux surgery (ARS). Patients presenting with a stricture due to GERD (n = 13) underwent ARS, either as a primary procedure (n = 3) or after a course of dilatations (median period of time: 8.5 months) (n = 10).
Conclusions: Extended nonresponsive medical therapy is as harmful as needless surgical therapy performed prior to appropriate medical management. Our experience emphasizes that guidelines on the use of a multidisciplinary approach is the first step for successful GERD treatment. ARS in early infancy should only be justified in the presence of severe neurological and/or respiratory pathologies. If there is any doubt about the diagnosis of GERD with preliminary methods, endoscopic and pathological confirmation of the disease is mandatory for a correct management.