An integrated approach to treatment of patients with complicated forms of gastroesophageal reflux disease

Aim. To justify the appropriateness of applying the integrated algorithm of treatment, including the sequential application of conservative antireflux treatment and antireflux surgery, in patients with complicated forms of gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Methods. The main group of the study included 554 patients with complicated forms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (erosive esophagitis in 301, peptic stricture in 36, Barrett's esophagus in 90 and a combination of several complications in 127 patients), and the control group included 229 patients with uncomplicated gastroesophageal reflux disease and indications for surgical treatment. At the diagnostic stage, fiberoptic esophagogastroduodenoscopy with chromoendoscopy using a double dye staining technique (Lugol and methylene blue) and biopsies of ­areas suspicious for metaplasia, as well as a barium contrast multi-positional radiographic examination of the esophagus and gastroesophageal junction were used. At the treatment stage, both groups received conservative antireflux treatment lasting 4–8 weeks, comprising lifestyle regulation, diet, antisecretory drug therapy (proton pump inhi­bitors — omeprazole or rabeprazole 20 mg orally twice a day, antispasmodic agent — domperidone 20 mg orally 3 times a day or itopride 50 mg orally 3 times a day), followed by either laparotomic or laparoscopic antireflux surgery. In the main group, antireflux surgery was supplemented with endoscopic argon plasma coagulation during the postoperative period in the patients with Barrett's esophagus and esophageal bougienage under endoscopic control during the pre- and postoperative period in the patients with a peptic stricture.

Results. The frequency of intraoperative [6.3% (95% CI 1.4–5.8%), p=0.0462] and early postoperative complications [41.5% (95% CI 37.4–45.7%), p=0.0011] in the main group were statistically significantly higher than in the control group. There was no clinically important difference. Frequency of late postoperative complications in the main group [5.4% (95% CI 3.7–7.6%)] did not have statistically significant differences from the control (p=0.1239). The integrated algorithm of treatment has proven to be safe with provision for the need to develop measures to reduce the overall incidence of early postoperative complications. Excellent and satisfactory immediate treatment results were achieved in 91.7% (95% CI 89.1–93.9%), and excellent and satisfactory long-term results were achieved in 91.3% (95% CI 88.7–93.5%) patients of the main group, and were statistically significantly worse than in the control group, p=0.0008 and p=0.0021 for the immediate and long-term results, respectively. The difference was attribu­table to the extremely high efficiency of the treatment algorithm in the control group and had no clinical significance.

Conclusion. The use of the integrated algorithm of treatment based on the implementation of antireflux surgery is appropriate in all patients with complicated forms of gastroesophageal reflux disease.