The Stretta procedure, approved in 2001, works differently. A doctor sends a deflated balloon equipped with electrodes down the esophagus. After inflating the balloon at specific points, doctors send radiofrequency energy through the electrodes. This energy scars the region, thereby narrowing the esophagus walls.
"I stopped doing this procedure, because I was under-whelmed by the results," says Katz, who went on to explain how even though 70 percent of his patients would no longer be taking PPIs a year after the surgery, most were taking them again by two years.
Making a Decision to Have GERD Surgery
The only people who should be considering one of these procedures, according to Katz, is a patient who "has reflux that is well controlled by a medication, but who chooses not to continue taking the medication because of cost or concerns about taking a drug long-term."
If your GERD cannot be controlled by a prescription, says Katz, you need to find out if you have a more serious problem than acid reflux. In these cases, the surgery won't help anyway.
But for those who do think that one of these surgical procedures is best for them, it is important to understand that no one can truly say that any one of the techniques is better than another.
"It all comes down to the doctor's personal preferences," says Katz.
Worse, there is little long-term data on any of the techniques, and many patients report having to go back to PPI treatment a year after their surgery.
"How much risk do you take for a few years of no pills?" asks Katz.
