Clinical outcome of laparoscopic antireflux surgery for patients with irritable bowel syndrome.
BACKGROUND
The prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is higher among subjects with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). This study aimed to assess the effect of IBS on the postoperative outcome of antireflux surgery.


METHODS
For this study, 102 patients who underwent laparoscopic fundoplication were screened preoperatively for IBS with the Rome II criteria. There were 32 patients in the IBS group and 70 patients in the non-IBS group. Most of the patients (97%) (31 of 32 IBS and 68 of 70 non-IBS patients) had both pre- and postoperative IBS evaluation. A visual analog GERD-specific scoring scale was used to evaluate GERD symptoms prospectively.


RESULTS
In both groups, GERD symptom scores were statistically improved postoperatively. Of the 31 IBS patients 25 (80.6%) showed a reduction in their symptoms below the Rome II criteria for IBS diagnosis postoperatively.


CONCLUSIONS
Irritable bowel syndrome does not have a negative effect on the outcome of laparoscopic antireflux surgery. Surgical correction of GERD may improve the severity of irritable bowel symptoms.
Raftopoulos
Y
Y
Minimally Invasive Surgery Center, West Penn Allegheny Health System, 320 East North Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15212-4772, USA.
Papasavas
P
P
Landreneau
R
R
Hayetian
Fernando
F
Santucci
Tibetha
T
Gagné
Daniel
D
Caushaj
Philip
P
Keenan
Robert
R
D000328:Adult; D015897:Comorbidity; D004415:Dyspepsia / Q000209:etiology; D015154:Esophageal Motility Disorders / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D018662:Fundoplication / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D043183:Irritable Bowel Syndrome / Q000150:complications*; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D016896:Treatment Outcome