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Ellen Beth Levitt ([email protected])
Barbara Crawford ([email protected])
410-328-8919 VIDEOSCOPIC SURGERY ENDS CHRONIC HEARTBURN DISCOMFORT
People who have frequent heartburn and do not get relief from over-the-counter medications now have another option. Surgeons at the University of Maryland Medical Center are able to use minimally invasive videoscopic surgery to correct the problem in more than 85 percent of heartburn sufferers. "The surgery is for people who are not helped by medication," says John Flowers, M.D., associate professor of surgery and head of the Division of General Surgery at the University of Maryland Medical System. Dr. Flowers is also director of the University of Maryland Videoscopic Surgery Center. "The procedure helps people whose heartburn is so severe that their lifestyles are altered-they can't sleep at night, can't hold a job or they've experienced a severe complication of reflux such as gastrointestinal bleeding," says Dr. Flowers.
In many cases, chronic heartburn is caused by a problem with a valve between the stomach and the esophagus. When people eat, their stomach produces acid to help digest the food. The faulty value allows the acid to travel up the esophagus leading to heartburn, or a burning feeling in the middle of the chest. Videoscopic surgery can now repair the problem, eliminating the need for a large incision and a long hospital stay. On average, patients stay in the hospital for less than 48 hours, compared to five to seven days with traditional surgery. The procedure is done with a laparoscope which contains a tiny videocamera that gives the medical team precise views of the lower esophagus. They watch what they are doing on video monitors in the operating room. During the procedure, surgeons make five to six small holes to insert instruments. They can then correct the problem by wrapping an adjacent part of the stomach, known as the gastric fundus, around the lower esophagus. This prevents the flow of acids from the stomach into the esophagus.
"The surgery was fantastic," says Ruth Horsman who had the procedure. "Before I had the surgery, my heartburn was awful. The heartburn would actually wake me up in the middle of the night. I couldn't eat anything. Now I can eat anything I want to eat -- chili dogs, spring onions, anything. I would recommend the procedure to anyone with the same problem." "Chronic heartburn can be a symptom of a more serious condition known as gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD," explains George Fantry, M.D., associate professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and a gastroenterologist at the University of Maryland Medical Center.
The University of Maryland Medical Center is among the state's most experienced centers in caring for patients with GERD. Surgeons there have been performing the videoscopic procedure to treat GERD for more than six years and have helped more than 300 people.
Gastroesophageal reflux affects both adult men and women. Symptoms of GERD include heartburn more than twice a week and an increasing dependence on over-the-counter heartburn remedies. Other symptoms include a burning sensation in the chest or abdomen, indigestion, regurgitation, difficulty sleeping after eating, hoarseness and sore throat. If left untreated, GERD can cause more severe problems such as esophageal ulcers and bleeding.
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