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From: christine.l.ayoub on 9 Mar 2007 17:00
I am considering having a fundoplication, but I'm hearing so many
mixed reviews that I'm very nervous about it. I was also considering
the new plicator procedure, but it has not been well studied. Is
there anyone who has had the plicator procedure? I'd like to hear a
first hand experience.

Thanks,

Christine

From: Howard McCollister on 9 Mar 2007 20:25

<christine.l.ayoub(a)intel.com> wrote in message
news:1173477615.668450.276220(a)t69g2000cwt.googlegroups.com...
>I am considering having a fundoplication, but I'm hearing so many
> mixed reviews that I'm very nervous about it. I was also considering
> the new plicator procedure, but it has not been well studied. Is
> there anyone who has had the plicator procedure? I'd like to hear a
> first hand experience.
>

The NDO plicator have some promise, but it's way too early to tell. There is
simply not enough data to draw any conclusions about incidence of side
effects, longevity of the repair, and efficacy. Also, virtually all
insurance companies currently have labeled it as "investigational" and won't
pay for it.

HMc



From: christine.l.ayoub on 10 Mar 2007 00:25

Thanks for your reply. That's exactly what my GI doctor told me, and a
surgeon told me that there is also risk of having scar tissue form
which may interfere with a future fundo. Its just that it seems so
much less invasive and risky than a fundo! I have 2 surgeons I am
considering for the fundoplication and am meeting with each at the end
of this month. I've been reading some of the past posts and will try
to compile a list of questions for them. One surgeon has recently
done a fellowship at Chapel Hill, NC, and the other has been in
practice for 12years and his website states that he specializes in
"advanced laparoscopic procedures": http://www.perezsurgical.com/. I
guess the next question I have is: when is the right time to consider
surgery? I know some people's symptoms get better over time, but
others worsen. I take Prevacid 30mg bid, 300 mg Zantac qhs and
Carafate inbetween. I've been struggling with this for about 8 months
and I am starting to show improvement, but that's with tons of
medication. My family wants me to wait to see if I'll improve and
then, hopefully, taper off of the meds. I'm 43 years old and don't
like the quality of life I have now, but I've heard that the fundo can
have its own side effects. This is a tough decision.
>
> The NDO plicator have some promise, but it's way too early to tell. There is
> simply not enough data to draw any conclusions about incidence of side
> effects, longevity of the repair, and efficacy. Also, virtually all
> insurance companies currently have labeled it as "investigational" and won't
> pay for it.
>
> HMc

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