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http://on.fb.me/PreOp_com - NEW facebook page - it's cool! Patient Education Company Your doctor has recommended that you undergo surgery to treat reflux disease. But what does that actually mean? Your diaphragm is a muscle that separates your chest from your abdomen and helps you to breathe. Normally, the diaphragm has an opening for the esophagus to pass through where it connects with the stomach. At this point, the ring-like layer of muscle which acts as a one-way valve sometimes becomes lax. When you have reflux disease, the weakened muscle allows the contents of your stomach to back up into your esophagus. Patient Education This can cause considerable discomfort, often worse at night, with symptoms like heartburn, difficulty swallowing, chest pain and belching. Reflux disease is often caused by a hiatal hernia, pregnancy, an ulcer or tumor of the esophagus. About half of the patients with severe Reflux Disease often have a hiatal hernia, which is a tear in the diaphragm. Patient Education CompanyPatient Education Anti-Reflux Laparoscopy Surgery throat esophagus stomach intestine reflux esophagus stomach intestine diagnostic doctor oesophagus trachea cancer acid Patient Education health medicine science After allowing a few minutes for the anesthetic to take effect... a small incision is made above the umbilicus; then, a hollow needle will be inserted through the abdominal wall. And the abdomen will be inflated with carbon dioxide. An umbilical port is created for the laparoscope. Four more incisions will be made, with care taken to keep the openings as small as possible. Once in place, the laparoscope will provide video images, so the surgeon can insert the instruments used to locate and pull back the liver... in order to see the upper part of the stomach. Then, the surgeon cuts away the tissue that connects the liver and the stomach. Then the surgeon divides and separates the arteries that supply blood to the top of the stomach. After freeing the stomach from the spleen, your doctor wraps the upper portion of the stomach around the esophagus and sutures it into place. A rubber tube is placed in the esophagus to keep the wrap from becoming too tight. All of the instruments are withdrawn... the carbon dioxide is allowed to escape... the muscle layers and other tissues are sewn together and the skin is closed with sutures or staples. Finally, sterile dressings are applied. Patient Education Company Following the procedure, you'll be moved then to a recovery area where you can relax until the sedation and anesthetic has worn off - and until the doctor is satisfied that you are fit to go home. Plan on spending several hours in recovery. Your doctor may be able to give you a more precise estimate prior to surgery. Before you leave, you'll probably be prescribed a pain killer along with any other medication your doctor feels you need to take. PreOp® Patient Education Reflux disease only rarely leads to complications. The first is a persistent residual neuralgia - or pain - around the scar. It can be either localized or general. It may develop soon after surgery - or even weeks or months later. Usually it will decrease in intensity with time. But in very rare situations it can become permanent. More frequently patients report achiness in the shoulders and chest. This is caused by the body's reaction to the carbon dioxide used to inflate the abdomen and it will clear up in a matter of a few days. The most serious problem would likely be a puncture in the bowel or liver. But these are very rare occurrences. Finally, as mentioned earlier, the surgical team may decide to end the laparoscopic procedure and convert to open surgery.