Gastroesophageal Reflux Treatment (GERD)Conveniently located to serve Fountain Valley, CA
Offering a compassionate program that provides comprehensive care and support, Smart Dimensions™ offers gastroesophageal reflux treatment to patients in Los Angeles and Orange County who suffer from severe heartburn or acid indigestion.
What is Gastroesophageal Reflux Treatment?
Normally, the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) acts as a one-way valve, enabling food to pass into the stomach. When the LES is not doing its job properly, stomach acid, enzymes, and bile back up from the stomach into the esophagus. This produces the burning sensation that is the predominant symptom of GERD.
If you suffer from frequent heartburn, it is important that you visit your doctor to discuss your discomfort. Continued exposure to stomach acid and other gastric juices causes irritation of the esophagus that can result in:
- Inflammation or ulceration
- Serious medical conditions, including ulcers, bleeding, and narrowing of the esophagus
- Barrett’s esophagus, a condition that could lead to esophageal cancer
Do Over-the-Counter Medicines Work?
Over-the-counter medications may actually mask a more severe disease, and should not be used on a daily basis. No medication can cure GERD. Only surgery can improve regurgitation on a long-term basis. Benefits of Gastroesophageal Reflux Treatment
- Avoid lifetime medication use
- Improved quality of life
- Lifetime results
How is Gastroesophageal Reflux Treatment Performed?
The following treatment options are available at our Los Angeles and Orange County-area practice.
- LINX® – A New, Minimally Invasive Treatment for Gastroesophageal Reflux The expert surgical team at Smart Dimensions™ is pleased to offer the LINX® System to select patients. LINX® is the only available FDA-approved device for the treatment of GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease).
The LINX® Reflux Management System stops reflux at its source by altering the weak portion of the esophagus using a small, flexible band of magnets that are enclosed in titanium beads. Connected by tiny titanium wires, the magnetic attraction of the beads helps keep the weak portion of the esophagus that is causing the reflux, closed.
Because the LINX® System is small and flexible, swallowing causes a temporary opening of the magnets, allowing food and liquid to pass normally into the stomach. The magnets then close again, reinforcing the body’s natural barrier against the acid reflux and its painful symptoms.
How LINX® is implanted?
Through a common, minimally invasive surgical technique called laparoscopy, your expert Smart Dimensions™ surgeon places the LINX® System just above the stomach and around the esophagus. General anesthesia is used during this procedure, which is typically completed in less than one hour. Once successfully implanted, the LINX System begins working instantly. Other Procedures for the Treatment of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
- Nissen Fundoplication Laparoscopic Surgery – The procedure repairs bulging stomach tissue in the upper abdomen. The upper part of the stomach is actually wrapped around the esophagus to increase LES muscle pressure. Reflux is eliminated in 95 percent of patients. This procedure is not suitable for every patient.
- Transoral Incisionless Fundoplication – Transoral incisionless fundoplication (TIF) endoscopic treatment repairs a weakened valve at the junction of the stomach and the esophagus, strengthening the anti-reflux barrier so that gastric content no longer seeps into the throat. For a small percentage of patients, this technique is possible.
How Videoscopic Surgery Fixes Chronic Heartburn?
If your chronic heartburn is caused by a malfunctioning esophageal valve, this underlying problem can be fixed with videoscopic surgery.
- Videoscopic surgery uses special surgical instrumentation – a fiber-optic camera, light source, and a video monitor – to view the anatomy for the procedure. This special surgical instrumentation allows the videoscopic procedure to be completed less invasively, with only a few dime-sized incisions.
- To tighten the esophageal value, the surgeon wraps a small part of your stomach around the lower esophageal muscle so it can again function normally, preventing stomach acid from refluxing up into the esophagus and causing the pain of heartburn. Since videoscopic surgery requires only small incisions, scarring tends to be greatly reduced, hospital stays are shorter, and recovery is faster than with traditional surgery. With videoscopic surgery for GERD, average hospital stays are only 1 to 3 days.
Preparing for Gastroesophageal Reflux Treatment
Remember to take your heartburn symptom record to your doctor visit. Be sure to note any lifestyle changes you have made or nonprescription medicines you use.
Gastroesophageal Reflux Treatment Recovery
Patients are able to resume a normal diet immediately when they recover from the operation, usually the day after surgery. Most patients describe an immediate improvement in their symptoms. However, some patients experience a period of temporary dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) for about 7-10 days following treatment.
How much does Gastroesophageal Reflux Treatment Cost?
The best way to calculate the cost of gastroesophageal reflux treatment is to meet with a bariatric surgeon. Several factors affect the price of the surgery, it is best to discuss on a case-to-case basis.
Is Gastroesophageal Reflux Treatment Right for Me?
If you suffer from chronic GERD and are looking for a minimally invasive solution then the LINX® System may be right for you. The expert surgeons at Smart Dimensions™ are among a select few experts in the Orange County and Los Angeles areas who have made this innovative and effective procedure available to our patients.
What to Expect During Your Consultation?
The treatment that is right for you will be determined during your initial consultation after we have discussed your condition and health history.
pH Testing – A small BRAVO capsule is placed in the esophagus to record pH acid levels during a 48-hour period. This helps determine how reflux episodes relate to physical activity, meals, and chest pain.
Esophageal Manometry – A thin tube, inserted through the nose or mouth, measures abnormal sphincter pressure.
Gastroesophageal reflux treatment performed at our Orange County clinic, near Los Angeles, is a feasible, safe, and efficient surgical technique for the treatment of chronic heartburn.
To have a personal consultation with a Smart Dimensions™ gastric sleeve or gastric bypass surgeon, Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside, and San Bernardino residents can contact our Fountain Valley practice. We serve patients throughout the United States and the world. Please call or text 714-861-4666 today to schedule your free initial consultation!
