Heartburn Surgery
If your heartburn isn’t helped by medication or changes to your diet, fundoplication surgery at North Carolina Surgery (formerly REX Surgical Specialists) may be the best choice for you. Ask our surgeons to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and heartburn.
What Causes Heartburn?
It’s common to have occasional heartburn – a burning feeling in your chest or throat. Heartburn, which can be a symptom of GERD, happens when stomach acid backs up into your esophagus, the tube that moves food from your mouth to your stomach. It may occur after eating and may get worse when lying down or bending over. Common triggers for heartburn include:
- Acidic juices or foods
- Alcohol
- Caffeine
- Carbonated beverages
- Chocolate
- Hiatal hernia
- Incomplete closing of the valve between your esophagus and stomach
- Pressure on stomach from obesity, frequent bending over and lifting, tight clothes or pregnancy
- Smoking
- Stress
Fundoplication Surgery
During fundoplication surgery, the top part of your stomach is wrapped around your esophagus and is sewn into place. This stops acid from backing up into the esophagus as easily. This lets your esophagus heal and helps relieve your symptoms without future use of medications.
Minimally Invasive Fundoplication
You may be a candidate for a minimally invasive approach to fundoplication depending on your health and previous surgeries. During minimally invasive surgery, your doctor uses tiny tools with a small camera to see inside your body. Because the surgeon makes only small incisions, you experience less scarring and may recover faster. Following surgery, you’ll stay in the hospital one or two nights.
You can trust in a surgical team who has decades of experience performing minimally invasive procedures.
