Read
this article for more information on Nissen
Fundoplication Surgical procedure for
GERD.
In
Gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD, part of
the acidic stomach contents often reflux or back
flows into the esophagus, causing a moderate to
severe burning sensation near the sternum or the
breastbone, which is commonly termed 'heartburn'.
To alleviate this distressing disease, several
methods are applied that include (a) Lifestyle
change which involves elimination of all acidic
fruits and vegetables like tomatoes and oranges or
other citrus fruits as well as spicy or deep fried
food from the menu of the affected person; (b) use
of apple cider vinegar as a remedial measure; (c)
use of acid inhibiting drugs,
etc.
The
underlying cause of the problem lies with the weak
or faulty lower esophageal sphincter (LES) that
inappropriately leaks the acidic material into the
esophagus, giving rise to heartburn and related
discomfort. Often a hiatus hernia in the diaphragm
is also a part of the
scenario.
However,
in certain cases where all the above measures do
not or can not give the desired result, surgery
comes into help in the form of Nissen
Fundoplication Surgical procedure which
indeed is very effective in providing the much
needed relief. Since this particular form of
surgery was first introduced by Dr. Rudolph Nissen
in 1951, Nissen Fundoplication has customarily
been performed as an open surgery procedure
involving an incision of 6" to 8: inches long for
providing relief to people suffering from GERD.
However, this has lately been replaced by
laparoscopic method which involves much lesser
pain and blood loss for the
patient.
Nevertheless,
the procedure involved in Nissen Fundoplication is
the same whether it is accomplished customarily or
using laparoscopy that consists of strengthening
the lower esophageal sphincter by wrapping the
upper portion of the stomach (clinically known as
'fundus') with the lower portion of the esophagus.
Hiatus hernia is also simultaneously repaired by
the attending surgeon.
Patients
undergoing this surgical procedure benefit from a
host of advanced medical facilities like
three-dimensional imaging, latest state-of-the art
ultrasound equipment and internal laparoscopic
suturing devices. And on top of all that is a team
of leading laparoscopic surgeons thoroughly
conversant with current laparoscopic surgery
technology.
As
compared to the earlier days when pain and
recovery were of much concern, today Nissen
Fundoplication performed using laparoscopy
requires small incisions while the laparoscope, a
minute telescopic video-camera sends detailed
images of the affected anatomy back on to the
video monitor for better understanding of the
problem. Images can be magnified to desired
dimension before taking the appropriate
action.
Unfortunately,
there are several potential complications to
fundoplication, among them are nausea, abdominal
cramping, gas bloat syndrome, swallowing problems
and much more. Another significant downside of the
surgical approach to GERD treatment (that
addresses the local immediate causes) is that it
fails to either recognize or properly tackle
several crucial internal factors and co-factors
that create the so called environment that causes
acid reflux.
However
the fact is, Nissen Fundoplication Surgical
procedure is not needed in most cases. In fact, it
is the final thing that one should do, after all
other treatment options have failed. So before
opting for this, you should always try out
holistic remedies as they reportedly give much
better results than conventional
drugs.
Holistic
remedies treat the body as a whole, and this is
always a better approach to treat GERD, because
the causes of the disease are many, and it is
complicated too, and so all the probable
contributing factors need to investigated
thoroughly. This can be done using holistic
remedies because it treats the body as a whole.
Conventional medications on the other hand in many
cases just treat the symptoms of the illness, and
so the disease may come back from another
underlying contributing
factor.
