Surgical treatment of gastroesophageal reflux in infants and children: Long-term results in 28 cases

Abstract

Twenty-eight infants and children with esophageal hiatus hernia are described, six of whom had been operated on before the same disorder. In four patients an esophageal stenosis was present. Right-sided subhepatic anterior gastropexy was performed in 27 patients and resection of an esophageal stricture with subsequent esophagogastrostomy in one. There were no operative deaths. One patient developed an esophageal stricture 6 months postoperatively. The remaining 27 patients were seen from 1 to 18 years after the operation; 85 per cent of the patients had a follow-up period of longer than 3 years. At the follow-up examination, 27 of the patients were free of symptoms. In two of these patients recurrent gastroesophageal reflux was noted on cinefluoroscopic examination. Gastropexy is advocated as the treatment of choice in cases of gastroesophageal reflux that do not react to proper conservative measures. In view of the danger of esophageal stenosis, the importance of early operation is stressed.