Endoscopic tightening of the cardia mucosa in gastroesophageal reflux disease: A case series of 120 patients up to 1-year follow-up

BACKGROUND AND AIM: A technique of endoscopic tightening of the cardia mucosa for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) was developed and its clinical efficacy was observed. METHODS: 120 patients with GERD who underwent endoscopic tightening surgery from December 2017 to December 2019 were included in this study. GERD-Q score and constitution type of patients were evaluated preoperatively and at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year after surgery. In addition, effectiveness and side effects of the procedure were graded based on gastroesophageal flap valve (GEFV) function. RESULTS: GERD-Q score of 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year after surgery were significantly decreased (P<0.01) compared with preoperative score. There were no significant differences between GERD-Q score of 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year after surgery. The surgery proves to be effective in all GEFV grades, especially in Hill-III. CONCLUSION: Endoscopic tightening is an effective method for the treatment of patients with GERD, especially of Hill-III patients. Attention should be paid to cardia width, ligation ring depth, and ring number during operation. RELEVANCE FOR PATIENTS: ETCM is a safe endoscopic procedure with minimal trauma, which has been proved effective for patients who are diagnosed with GERD.