BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic fundoplication is a well-established surgical opti
on for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease. The aim of this st
udy was to assess the surgical outcomes from the patient's point of view by
using a validated quality of life instrument.
METHODS: Fifty patients have been prospectively included. All patients unde
rwent a standardized 270-degree posterior fundoplication. Quality of life w
as measured by the Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (GIQLI), a 36-ite
m-questionnaire. The patients received the questionnaire before surgery, an
d 3 months and 1 year after surgery.
RESULTS: Preoperative score was 95.6 +/- 21 points. The score increased sig
nificantly (P <0.0005) at 3 months (103.6 +/- 16) and 1 year (111.4 +/- 22)
after surgery. This improvement concerned the four domains of the question
naire (symptoms, social functioning, physical status, and emotions). The sc
ore in patients at 1 year remained, however, significantly lower than that
in healthy persons (126 +/- 18).
CONCLUSIONS: GIQLI is a sensitive tool to assess surgical outcomes after fu
ndoplication. The quality of life after surgery did not reach the level of
healthy population, not because of failure of surgery to treat GERD but pro
bably because of functional dyspepsia that was present prior to surgery and
did not change after fundoplication. (C) 2000 by Excerpta Medica, Inc.