Skip to main content
Log in

Complications of laparoscopic antireflux surgery in childhood

  • Published:
Surgical Endoscopy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the complications associated with the laparoscopic treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in children.

Methods: From March 1992 to March 1998, we used the laparoscopic approach to treat 289 children affected by gastroesophageal reflux disease. The patients' ages ranged between 4 months and 17 years (median, 4.3 years), and their body weight ranged between 5 and 52 kg. In 148 children (51.3%), we adopted a Nissen-Rossetti procedure and in 141 (48.7%) a Toupet technique.

Results: The duration of surgery ranged between 40 and 180 min (median, 70). There were no deaths and no anesthesiological complications in our series. We recorded 15 (5.1%) intraoperative complications: six pleural perforations, four lesions of the posterior vagus nerve, two esophageal perforations, two gastric perforations, and one pericardiac perforation. Conversion to open surgery was necessary in only four cases (1.3%). We recorded 10 (3.4%) postoperative complications: one peritonitis due to an esophageal perforation not detected during the intervention that required a reoperation, five cases of herniation of the epiploon through a trocar orifice, three cases of dysphagia that disappeared spontaneously after a few months, and one case of delayed gastric emptying that subsequently required a pyloroplasty. We had six recurrences of GERD (2.1%). In two cases, a new fundoplication was performed using the laparoscopic approach; in the other four, the GERD was controlled with medical therapy.

Conclusion: Our results show that laparoscopic fundoplication is an adequate treatment for children with GERD that has a low rate of complications. When severe complications do occur, they can be treated effectively via the laparoscopic approach.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

Received: 16 November 1999/Accepted: 16 December 1999/Online publication: 5 June 2000

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Esposito, C., Montupet, P., Amici, G. et al. Complications of laparoscopic antireflux surgery in childhood. Surg Endosc 14, 622–624 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/s004640000143

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s004640000143

Navigation