The Times Union published a story on a new treatment for chronic reflux, now being offered at St. Peter’s Hospital.
Approved by the FDA in 2011, LINX is a minimally invasive, long-lasting solution to gastroesophageal reflux disease, also known as GERD. Dr. Dennis Rassias, chief of thoracic surgery at St. Peter’s Hospital, recently performed the hospital’s first LINX procedure to treat the disease.
From the article:
“Historically, what we’ve been doing to augment the sphincter pressure of the esophageal valve is a surgery called fundoplication, which uses the patient’s own stomach,” Rassias said. “While this helps many patients, there is the small possibility that it can breakdown after about 20 years. What makes LINX such an attractive treatment is that it’s completely reversible, is minimally invasive, and should last a lifetime.”
Because the procedure is minimally invasive — a robotic arm inserts the device through small cuts in the abdomen with the aid of a camera — most patients who undergo the surgery are able to go home the same day and quickly resume a normal diet. Typical physical activity can usually resume within a few days.
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