TIF Surgery to Treat Acid Reflux
Rourke Pollard, now a 19-year-old
sophomore studying microbiology at Texas A&M University, was 11 years old when
he first felt the burn of acid reflux in his chest. At first, his symptoms only
presented themselves in certain circumstances: at night, upon eating certain
foods, or when he ate less than usual. For these episodes, he took Pepcid®
AC and didn’t give the issue too much thought. But like many people with acid reflux,
Rourke also suffered from asthma. The conditions are linked, and each can
worsen the other condition’s symptoms.
With both his asthma and acid
reflux intensifying, it became necessary for Rourke to go on a regimen of acid
controllers. “The medications helped at first,” Rourke says, “but eventually it
was like I became immune to all treatment.” Prevacid® stopped
working; Nexium®, not intended to be taken long-term, brought the
risk of decreased absorption of essential vitamins and minerals. After a few
endoscopy procedures, his physician – Erik B. Wilson, M.D., medical director of
bariatric surgery at Memorial Hermann –Texas Medical Center – proposed a new
approach.
Dr. Wilson told Rourke about
Transoral Incisionless Fundoplication, or TIF®, a surgical procedure
that treats the underlying causes of acid reflux without requiring incisions. By
reconstructing the antireflux valve using a device called EsophyX®,
TIF restores the body’s natural protection against reflux. “The side effects are
minimal,” Dr. Wilson, who also serves as director of the division of elective
general surgery and associate professor of surgery at The University of Texas
Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) Medical School, said, “and most patients report a vast reduction
or complete elimination of heartburn after the procedure.”
“I was all for it,” Rourke says. “I
wanted to get this fixed.” After talking at length with Dr. Wilson as well as a
former patient who strongly recommended that TIF was a smart decision, Rourke
decided to go into surgery. On August 11, 2011, Dr. Wilson performed the
hour-long procedure, and within a week Rourke was back to normal.
Only a few months later, Rourke’s
health has been transformed. “No long-term acid controllers whatsoever,” he states
proudly. “It’s a massive difference. I couldn’t give myself acid reflux right
now if I tried.”
Thousands of patients worldwide
have had their lives changed by TIF, a unique procedure with significant
benefits: no scarring, no internal cutting, rapid recovery, the possibility of
revision, and medical results so effective that 79 percent of patients remain
completely off medication years after the procedure. “Medications are only a
temporary fix,” says Dr. Wilson. “They reduce acid in the stomach, rather than
fix the broken valve that causes acid reflux.”
TIF is an alternative treatment option that many
patients and physicians are beginning to favor. “There has been a dramatic
increase in the number of TIF procedures we are
performing. It’s an effective option now for many patients who meet the
criteria,” says Dr. Wilson.
For more information about the procedure, call 713-892-5500 or
send e-mail to tif@memorialhermann.org.