Reflux, dysphagia, and gas bloat after laparoscopic fundoplication in patients with incidentally discovered hiatal hernia and in a control group

In patients with severe GERD, laparoscopic fundoplication decreases reflux symptoms to levels found in control subjects. These results appear to be stable over time. However, patients who underwent fundoplication experience more dysphagia and gas bloat than controls and patients with hiatal hernia-symptoms that should be seen as a side effect of the procedure and of GERD itself.