The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Vol 82, 706-712, Copyright © 1981 by The American Association for Thoracic Surgery and The Western Thoracic Surgical Association
Treatment of gastroesophageal reflux in children by Thal fundoplication
KW Ashcraft, TM Holder and RA Amoury
The anterior fundoplication described by Thal has been used in treating
gastroesophageal reflux surgically in 362 children at The Children's Mercy
Hospital and at St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, because
medical therapy had failed or was inappropriate. Long-term results have
been evaluated in regard to relief of reflux and relief of symptoms
attributed to reflux. Of the 335 patients followed from 1 to 8 years, 90%
had a satisfactory initial result. Five percent required reoperation for a
recurrence of reflux due to failure of the fundoplication or development of
a hiatus hernia. All recurrences developed with 5 months of the initial
operation. Fifteen of 335 patients (4.5%) had persistent symptoms despite
correction of the gastroesophageal reflux; in these patients, attributing
the symptoms to reflux was incorrect. There were no deaths in this series
of patients as a result of operation. The success rate of the Thal
fundoplication in children compares favorably with that of the Nissen
Fundoplication.