Management of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: A Review of Medical and Surgical Management

Background. Gastroesophageal reflux disease currently accounts for the majority of esophageal pathologies. This study is an attempt to help us tackle the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges of this disease. This study specifically focuses on patients in the urban Indian setup. Materials and Methods. This study was a prospective interventional study carried out at a teaching public hospital in Mumbai from May 2010 to September 2012. Fifty patients diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux disease (confirmed by endoscopy and esophageal manometry) were chosen for the study. Results. Fifty patients were included in the study. Twenty patients showed symptomatic improvement after three months and were thus managed conservatively, while 30 patients did not show any improvement in symptoms and were eventually operated. Conclusion. We suggest that all patients diagnosed to have gastroesophageal reflux disease should be subjected to 3 months of conservative management. In case of no relief of symptoms, patients need to be subjected to surgery. Laparoscopic Toupet's fundoplication is an effective and feasible surgical treatment option for such patients, associated with minimal side effects. However, the long-term effects of this form of treatment still need to be evaluated further with a larger sample size and a longer followup.