Course Of Reflux Disease Research Articles

Laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication in the treatment of Barrett's esophagus - 10 years of experience.

IntroductionBarrett's esophagus (BE) is a state in which the distal portion of esophageal mucosa becomes lined with cylindrical epithelium as a result of adaptive remodeling. It is widely accepted that the metaplastic lesions result from chronic irritation with gastric and/or duodenal contents in the course of reflux disease. For many years, research centered on the risk factors of BE and resulting adenocarcinoma. Anti-reflux operations are the only procedures which offer the possibility of treating the cause by restoring the anatomic barrier responsible for guarding against irritating effects of gastroduodenal content on the distal esophagus. Total (i.e. 360°) laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication (LNF) is considered the most effective amongst these procedures. Still, controversies related to the indications for anti-reflux surgery are frequently encountered.AimRetrospective analysis of long-term treatment outcomes in patients with BE subjected to laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication.Material and methodsThe group included 42 BE patients, amongst them 30 men and 12 women. Initially, all the patients were treated conservatively for at least 1 year. The subgroup with dysplasia was subjected to preoperative argon plasma coagulation (APC). From 1 year after surgery (laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication), control biopsy specimens were obtained from the gastroesophageal junction of all the patients.ResultsNone of the patients showed the development of esophageal adenocarcinoma during the follow-up period. Furthermore, no cases of dysplasia progression or de novo development of dysplasia were observed in the analyzed group. In the initial 12-24 months after surgery, complete regression of metaplasia was documented in 7 (31.8%) patients from group A, and a reduction in the area of Barrett's metaplasia was observed in another 7 patients (31.8%). Throughout the period of this study, persistent planoepithelial re-epithelialization was observed in 14 (70%) group B patients, i.e. in individuals with baseline dysplasia subjected to preoperative argon plasma ablation. In the remaining patients of this group, the developed changes of BE character were less advanced than at baseline.ConclusionsOur opinion is that laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication, as a result of high effectiveness, represents the method of choice in the treatment of BE in the case of patients who were qualified for surgery.

Peculiar features of the clinical course of reflux disease in diabetic patients

Aim. To elucidate peculiar features of the clinical course of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in patients with type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus(DM1 and DM2). Materials and methods. The study included 258 patients (68 DM and 190 DM2) undergoing 24-hour pH-metry, gastric and oesophageal endoscopy,and evaluation of H.pylori (Hp) infestation. Results. Based on the results of pH-metry and complaints of the patients, GERD was diagnosed in 23.5 and 33.6% of DM1 and DM2 patients respectively.GERD in DM patients is frequently asymptomatic, with fewer complaints of oesophageal problems but more pronounced endoscopic changesin patients with GERD alone. Patients with GERD + DM more frequently present with erosive oesophagitis and oesophageal ulcers than those withGERD without DM. Patients with GERD + DM are characterized by a higher occurrence of H.pylori in gastric mucosa than patients with DM alone. Conclusion. GERD is a frequent pathology in DM1 and DM1 patients characterized by a peculiar, frequently asymptotic, clinical course; it requiresthorough attention of endocrinologists and gastroenterologists.

An update on the available treatments for non-erosive reflux disease

Non-erosive reflux disease is defined as the presence of troublesome reflux symptoms, such as heartburn and regurgitation, in the absence of endoscopically-visible damage of the oesophageal mucosa. In comparison with erosive oesophagitis, non-erosive reflux disease is the most common clinical manifestation of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. Pathophysiologically, it is not a homogeneous disease as only approximately two-thirds of patients have truly acid-related symptoms. This explains the fact that patients with non-erosive reflux disease consistently show a poorer response to proton pump inhibitor treatment than patients with erosive oesophagitis. Nevertheless, profound acid inhibition by proton pump inhibitors is the recommended first-line treatment in patients suffering from this condition, both in the initial phase and for long-term care. Non-responders to proton pump inhibitor therapy should be subjected to a thorough examination and treated on an individual basis. Emerging data on the long-term course of reflux disease under routine clinical care have led to the adoption of new therapeutic strategies that would have been unthinkable only a few years ago.

Psychopharmacologic approaches to therapy for chest pain of presumed esophageal origin

Psychoactive medications have been used to manage chest pain of presumed esophageal origin, especially in syndromes associated with esophageal motor dysfunction. The rationale for their use is based on (a) the high prevalence of psychiatric disorders reported in patient groups with esophageal symptoms and minor motor dysfunction, (b) recognized psychophysiologic effects on esophageal motor activity, (c) the potential benefits that nerve-modulating drugs may have on the pathogenesis of the syndromes (independent of psychiatric factors), and (d) observations from treatment trials for chronic pain--including irritable bowel syndrome, a disorder that shares some clinical features with functional esophageal chest pain. Although psychiatric factors may have interactive effects on the presentation and course of reflux disease, the use of psychoactive drugs in reflux disease has not been tested. The effects of psychoactive drugs have been systematically explored and documented in only one study. At present, the mechanisms of esophageal symptom reduction resulting from psychopharmacologic treatments are not clear, but reduced sensitivity to visceral stimuli remains one possibility.

Esophageal motor abnormalities in children with gastroesophageal reflux and peptic esophagitis

Esophageal motility was studied in 26 children with gastroesophageal reflux. In 11 patients (group A), esophagitis was severe; in the remaining 15 (group B), either mild or no microscopic changes were found. Lower esophageal sphincter pressure and amplitude, as well as velocity and duration of esophageal pressure waves, were manometrically measured. All patients underwent a 12-week intensive antacid course. Manometric tracings, blindly read, were compared with those of 16 age-matched children with emesis without proven reflux (group C). Among the variables analyzed, amplitude of the motor waves was significantly lower in patients with severe esophagitis than in group B and C patients (P less than 0.01). Nonspecific motor defects (simultaneous, broad-based, double-peaked waves) were more commonly present in group A. At the end of therapy, symptoms had either disappeared or significantly improved. Endoscopic and histologic studies showed disappearance of the severe inflammatory changes. Manometry, repeated in patients with cured severe esophagitis, showed normalization of the amplitude and significant decrease of the nonspecific motility abnormalities. We conclude that severe gastroesophageal reflux disease in children causes esophageal motor dysfunction, resulting from esophageal inflammation. The occurrence of esophageal motility disorders only in patients with severe esophagitis and its disappearance after therapy may account for the favorable course of reflux disease in infancy.