Surgical treatment of gastroesophageal reflux in infants.

Thirty-one infants less than a year of age underwent surgery for correction of pernicious gastroesophageal reflux. Severe growth retardation from persistent vomiting was the single most important indication for surgery (25 patients). Recurrent aspiration penumonitis was another serious sequella of reflux and necessitated surgery in six patients. The diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux was confirmed by barium swallow in all children, and in 17 a concomitant hiatal hernia was demonstrated. Patients selected for surgery were first treated conservatively unless they showed significant esophagitis or had a major portion of stomach in the chest. Babies treated early in the series had Allison repairs (7 transabdominal, 2 thoracic). Twenty-two subsequent patients have had Nissen fundoplication, and two gastropexies were performed. In 15 patients, significant gastric outlet obstruction required a complementary pyloroplasty. Four infants required a second surgical procedure because of recurrence. Two of the four patients had Nissen procedures with good results, one following a Boerema gastropexy and one following an Allison repair. The other two patients needed revision after fundoplication. There was no mortality. Twenty-eight children have been followed 6 months-8(1/2) years. All have excellent nutritional status and are following normal growth curves. Study of these patients indicates the need for early diagnosis and medical or surgical therapy for all infants with major gastroesophageal reflux.