Clinical outcome at ten years after laparoscopic fundoplication: Nissen versus Toupet.

Laparoscopic surgery has become the elective approach for the surgical treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease in the last decade. Outcome data beyond 10 years are available for open fundoplication, with good-to-excellent results, but few studies report long-term follow-up after laparoscopic fundoplication. We performed a retrospective study of all the patients that underwent laparoscopic Nissen and Toupet fundoplications as antireflux surgery between 1995 and 1998 in our institution. To evaluate the long-term results, a face-to-face interview was performed in 2009. One hundred and six patients were included in the study. Surgical techniques performed were Nissen fundoplication (NF) in 56 patients and Toupet (TF) in 50. Complication rate was 4 per cent in both groups (nonsignificant [NS]). Two patients (4%) of NF required reoperation because of dysphagia. After 10 years, 10 per cent of the patients remain symptomatic in both groups. Fifteen per cent of NF take daily inhibitors of the proton pump versus 14 per cent of TF (NS). Twenty per cent of NF refer dysphagia, all of them without evidence of stenosis at endoscopy or contrasted studies. The satisfaction rate of the patients was 96 per cent in NF and 98 per cent in TF. Laparoscopic Toupet fundoplication seems to be as safe and long-term effective as Nissen, but with a lower incidence of postoperative dysphagia. In our experience Toupet fundoplication should be the elective approach for the surgical treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Clinical outcome at 10 years after laparoscopic versus open Nissen fundoplication.

INTRODUCTION: Laparoscopic surgery has become the elective approach for the surgical treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in the last decade. Outcome data beyond 10 years are available for open fundoplication, but few studies report long-term follow-up after laparoscopic fundoplication and comparison between laparoscopic and open approaches. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this study, we performed a retrospective study of all the patients undergoing Nissen fundoplication (open and laparoscopic) for antireflux surgery between 1996 and 1998 at our institution. RESULTS: In total, 166 patients were included: 88 underwent open Nissen fundoplication and 78 the laparoscopic approach. Complication rate was 5% for both groups. Conversion rate for the laparoscopic approach was was 4%. Median postoperative hospital stay was 9.5 days for open surgery and 3 days for laparoscopic 1 (P < 0.001). During the follow-up, 3 patients required reoperation, 1 after laparoscopic Nissen and 2 after open surgery, all of them due to dysphagia, though complementary tests showed normal features. After 10 years, 24% of the patients of the open surgery group (OS) remain symptomatic, and in the laparoscopic group (LS) 11% (P < 0.05). Overall, 16% of OS take dialy proton-pump inhibitors and 7% of LS (P < 0.05). Three patients have undergone an open Nissen fundoplication and 2 a laparoscopic referring mild dysphagia (NS). The satisfaction rate of the patients was 96% for OS and 97% for LS (NS). CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication appears to be at least as safe and long term in effectiveness for GERD as the open approach, with the associated postoperative advantages of a minimally invasive access.