Effects of cruroraphy and laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication procedures on pulmonary function tests in gastroesophageal reflux patients.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease plays a role in the etiology of asthma, chronic bronchitis, aspiration pneumonia, bronchiectasis and interstitial lung fibrosis by affecting the upper respiratory system. To investigate the changes in pulmonary function tests in patients who underwent cruroraphy and laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication for gastroesophageal reflux disease. Between January and October of 2012, cruroraphy and laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication have been carried out on 40 patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease in the Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Duzce University. Patients had pulmonary function tests were measured preoperatively and on postoperative day 20. Increases in forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in 1 second/forced vital capacity and forced expiratory flow between 25-75% of vital capacity were observed postoperatively in all patients and these increases were found to be statistically significant (p=0.001). Change in the forced expiratory volume in 1 second was not statistically significant (p=0.182). We conclude that treatment of reflux in early stages by surgical procedures could prevent development of chronic lung disease by safeguarding the pulmonary system functions.