— Leading Gastroenterology Experts Recommend Transoral Incisionless Fundoplication (TIF) for Select Patients with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) —
REDMOND, Wa.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–EndoGastric Solutions, Inc.® today announced that the American Gastroenterology Association retired their 2008 guidelines, Management of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease and released a Clinical Practice Update (CPU), which includes the TIF 2.0 procedure as an effective endoscopic option for patients with troublesome regurgitation or heartburn who do not wish to undergo anti-reflux surgery, and who do not have severe reflux esophagitis. 1 Additionally, the TIF 2.0 procedure has been incorporated in the American College of Gastroenterology’s updated Clinical Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease for the same patient population.2
“The AGA Clinical Practice Update on the Personalized Approach to the Evaluation and Management of GERD: Expert Review is based on a thorough review of the clinical literature and extensive discussion of the available clinical data among experts in the field,” stated Kenneth J. Chang, MD, AGAF, MASGE, FACG, FJGES, Professor and Chief, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of California, and Chair of EndoGastric Solutions, Inc. Medical Advisory Board. “The CPU is intended to provide practical advice to gastroenterologists who treat patients with GERD and to inform the greater public of best practices. The addition of the TIF procedure to this CPU expands the range of treatment options that gastroenterologists and surgeons can offer their patients as they strive to achieve optimal GERD outcomes.”
“Additional treatment options are needed for patients with documented GERD who do not have
satisfactory resolution of their symptoms or do not want to continue long term proton pump inhibitor therapy. The TIF procedure provides an excellent alternative for appropriately selected patients who are hesitant to undergo traditional, more invasive anti-reflux surgery,” said Phillip O. Katz, MD, MACG, Director of Motility Laboratories for the Division of Gastroenterology at Weill Cornell Medicine and lead author on the ACG publication. “The addition of the TIF procedure to the ACG guidelines offers GERD patients a new option to consider, with the potential to address their treatment needs and improve management of their reflux symptoms.”
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common gastrointestinal disease that affects up to 28% of the U.S. population. In the United States (U.S.), GERD is the most common gastrointestinal-related diagnosis physicians make during clinical visits, and accounts for approximately $15-20 billion per year of direct and indirect costs. 3 GERD is a chronic condition in which the gastroesophageal valve (GEV) allows gastric contents to reflux (wash backwards) into the esophagus, causing heartburn and possible injury to the esophageal lining. Some patients may have mild or moderate symptoms of GERD, while others have more severe manifestations causing chronic heartburn, asthma, chronic cough, and hoarse voice or chest pain. The first treatment recommendation for patients with GERD is to make lifestyle changes (e.g., diet, scheduled eating times, and sleeping positions). Medications, such as Proton pump inhibitors (PPI), are also commonly used to treat GERD. However, there are a variety of health complications associated with long-term dependency on PPIs, and more than thirty percent of patients are refractory to PPI therapy and may opt for surgery. Left untreated, GERD can lead to serious health risks, including esophagitis, esophageal stricture, Barrett’s esophagus, and esophageal cancer.
“EGS is committed to improving outcomes for patients with GERD,” said Skip Baldino, President and CEO of EndoGastric Solutions, Inc. “The inclusion of the TIF procedure in these updated documents from ACG and the AGA is an important addition to the treatment armamentarium of minimally invasive options that care providers can offer their patients suffering from GERD. We believe these updated recommendations will expand the use of the TIF procedure, allowing more patients to achieve satisfactory relief of GERD symptoms.”
References
- Yadlapati, R., Gyawali, C. P., Pandolfino, J. E., & CGIT GERD Consensus Conference Participants (2022). AGA Clinical Practice Update on the Personalized Approach to the Evaluation and Management of GERD: Expert Review. Clinical gastroenterology and hepatology: the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association, 20(5), 984994.e1. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cgh.2022.01.025
- Katz, P. O., Dunbar, K. B., Schnoll-Sussman, F. H., Greer, K. B., Yadlapati, R., & Spechler, S. J. (2022). ACG Clinical Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. The American journal of gastroenterology, 117(1), 2756. https://doi.org/10.14309/ajg.0000000000001538
- Gawron, A. J., French, D. D., Pandolfino, J. E., & Howden, C. W. (2014). Economic evaluations of gastroesophageal reflux disease medical management. PharmacoEconomics, 32(8), 745758. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40273-014-0164-8
