gallstones and Cholecystectomy

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db_man - 21 Dec 2006 19:56 GMT

Hi ,

My wife is 32 years old . has gallstones , and will have an
Cholecystectomy surgery next week .

She has also reflux problem , but according to the two years old
endoscopy , it is at the very early stage. The doctor who will do the
operation next week , told us that another endoscopy would be better in
order to understand whether any change in reflux during these 2 years,
if so , while doing the operation , at the same time , reflux can also
be healed , since these are similiar operations and done similiarly.

My wife does not much complaints about reflux , main problem is with
gallstones . We are little bit confused about the reflux operation.
Can you comment about this situation? Do we need to do both operation?

Kind Regards,
tolga

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Howard McCollister - 22 Dec 2006 11:17 GMT

> Hi ,
>
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
> Kind Regards,
> tolga

Other than the fact that a cholecystectomy and a Nissen fundoplication (for
reflux) are done laparoscopically, there is nothing even remotely similar
between those two operations. Even the port sites are different.
Additionally, cholecystectomy is a relatively routine operation with very
few side effects, whereas those two facts are most definitely not true of a
Nissen fundoplication.

Also, be aware that an EGD does not diagnose GERD, it diagnoses the
*complications* of GERD. In the absence of those complications (Barrett's
esophagus, acute erosive esophagitis, or stricture formation) reflux can't
be diagnosed by EGD - that requires ambulatory pH testing. And no competent
surgeon would do a Nissen fundoplication without first obtaining esophageal
manometry to assess esophageal motor function.

If there is no esophageal damage (Barrett's, esophagitis, stricture), then
NOTHING needs to be done about her reflux if the symptoms are being
controlled to her satisfaction.

HMc

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