Open for Healing: UTMC Offers Incisionless Treatment for Acid Reflux

By Tyrel Linkhorn

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Sponsored - Maybe it was the office chili cookoff, Taco Tuesday or the fast food combo you scarfed down on the way to your kid’s basketball game — almost everyone has experienced heartburn.

But for the tens of millions Americans with gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, that misery can come on multiple times a week.

“Heartburn is the most common complaint of GERD, but patients can also experience cough, sore throat, asthma-like symptoms and the feeling of something being stuck in their throat,” said Dr. Abdallah Kobeissy, a fellowship-trained gastroenterologist at The University of Toledo Medical Center. “It can significantly affect your quality of life.”

Perhaps more commonly referred to as acid reflux, GERD occurs when stomach acid or other stomach contents flows up into the esophagus.

Lifestyle changes such as avoiding acidic foods, eating smaller meals more frequently, not eating before bed or giving up cigarettes can help. Still, many patients also rely on proton-pump inhibitors, such as Prilosec and Nexium, that reduce the production of stomach acid.

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While those medications are generally well-tolerated, Kobeissy said they may not fully alleviate symptoms, depending on the severity of the condition. Some patients also have concerns about long-term use of the medication.

At UTMC, GERD patients have the option of an incisionless procedure known as transoral incisionless fundoplication, or TIF, to treat the root cause of GERD.

UTMC is the only hospital in northwest Ohio to offer the TIF procedure.

“For patients who have complicated reflux or recurrent ulcerations, regurgitation, failed medical treatment or who are intolerant of medications or don’t wish to be on medication long-term, this is another alterative,” Kobeissy said. “Medication can address the symptoms of heartburn, but it cannot prevent the contents of the stomach from traveling up into the esophagus. With the TIF procedure, we can actually fix the problem without making an incision.”

With the patient under general anesthesia, UTMC physicians feed a thin endoscope through the mouth into the top of the stomach. From there, the physician can repair the malfunctioning valve that separates the esophagus from the stomach, and repair small stomach hernias that also contribute to reflux.

Kobeissy said the procedure is typically completed in 30 minutes, and patients are generally discharged the following day.

“It’s a very well tolerated procedure with a much shorter recovery time and fewer side effects than traditional surgical treatment,” he said. “We have had very positive results with this option. It can significantly improve the patient’s quality of life.”

Up to 80% of patients who have the TIF procedure are able to completely discontinue proton-pump inhibitors, Kobeissy said.

Prior to scheduling the procedure, Kobeissy said physicians will do a complete workup to make sure the patient is a good candidate. For some patients with larger stomach hernias, laparoscopic surgery to fix the hernia can be paired with TIF to fix the esophageal valve.

For more information about gastroenterology at UTMC, visit the department’s website.

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