Which Treatment Is Better for GERD?

Compared with medical therapy, surgery was associated with higher rates of continuous remission, but the results are questionable.

In the long-standing debate about whether medical or surgical therapy is the better approach for managing gastroesophageal reflux disease, proponents of medical therapy argue that controlling gastric acid and the refluxate can achieve the primary goal of healing erosions and managing symptoms, whereas advocates of surgery contend that definitive correction of the anatomy is more appropriate and results in superior outcomes.

To resolve this issue, investigators conducted a long-term, prospective, randomized, multicenter trial of medical versus surgical therapy involving 310 Nordic patients with GERD symptoms and erosive esophagitis. Patients received either omeprazole (20 mg with or without escalation up to 60 mg) or surgery with open fundopl…

Reviewing Author

David A. Johnson, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory boardMedscape/WebMD; Pfizer; CRH Medical Corporation; Aries

EquityCRH Medical Corporation

Editorial boardsMedscape Gastroenterology

Leadership positions in professional societiesAmerican College of Gastroenterology Research Institute Board of Directors