Reflux Treatments
We offer a number of different surgical procedures for the treatment of persistent reflux symptoms.
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Contact number: 020 7432 8300
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Contact number: 020 7806 4010
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Contact number: 020 7806 4060
GORD treatment at our specialist London Reflux Clinic
Our private reflux clinic offers specialist surgical options for the treatment of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD). GORD is usually caused when the muscle at the bottom of the oesophagus becomes weakened. Normally, this ring of muscle opens to let food into your stomach and closes to stop stomach acid leaking back up into your oesophagus. When patients have GORD, this ring of muscle has usually become weaker so that stomach acid is no longer contained within the stomach.
Patients seeking a private reflux specialist in London will be treated with state-of-the-art facilities and treated in our modern consulting rooms. Our reflux consultants have vast experience in treating persistent GORD symptoms by utilising the latest surgical advances.
If you have, or think you might have GORD, and would like some expert advice, book an appointment with one of our consultant reflux specialists. They may recommend some tests to progress your diagnosis and will create a management plan for you to follow.
Reflux & GORD Specialists
Our Reflux Consultants have a wealth of experience and expertise in diagnosing and treating GORD.
When to seek specialist help
Your GP can often diagnose you with acid reflux based on your symptoms, but if they’re not sure, if your symptoms are persistent, or if you are dependent on prescription medications, ask your GP to refer you to our hospital for assessment.
You may need to be assessed if:
- Your GP can’t diagnose you definitively
- Your symptoms are persistent, severe or unusual
- Prescription medications aren’t helping
- You might need surgery
- You show signs of a more severe condition, such as difficulty swallowing
What is Gastro-Oesophagal Reflux Disease (GORD)
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GORD, also referred to as GERD) is a more serious form of acid reflux. This is when your stomach acid and bile flow chronically upwards into your gullet, causing damage to your body over time.
GORD is usually caused when the muscle at the bottom of the oesophagus becomes weakened. Normally, this ring of muscle opens to let food into your stomach and closes to stop stomach acid leaking back up into your oesophagus. However, when people have GORD, as this ring of muscle has become weaker, stomach acid is no longer contained within the stomach.
Treating Acid Reflux & GORD – Watch our video
In this video, Mr Hashemi describes why someone might need an acid reflux or GORD treatment and how it can improve quality of life.
Frequently asked questions
If you’re concerned you may have GORD, then look out for:
- Difficulty swallowing
- Heartburn
- Frequent acid reflux (where acid from the digestive tract comes up through the upper abdomen and into the mouth)
- Bad breath
- Belching
- Feeling sick or vomiting
- Pain when swallowing
- Sore throat and a hoarse voice
- A chronic cough which may get worse at night
- Tooth decay and gum disease
The reason why GORD happens isn’t always obvious, but certain factors can increase the risk of this condition developing. Risk factors include:
- Hiatus hernia: This is when part of your stomach pushes up through your diaphragm (the layer of muscle between your chest and stomach). This is commonly associated with GORD.
- Being overweight: this places increased pressure on your stomach, and over time can weaken the muscles at the base of your gullet.
- Smoking and drinking too much alcohol or coffee.
- Gastroparesis: this is when food sits in the stomach longer than it should and regurgitates up into the oesophagus.
- Certain medicines: some medicines can cause GORD or make symptoms worse.
- Stress can worsen symptoms.
GORD is a difficult illness to live with. Some people, especially those that have been experiencing symptoms for a long time, can face complications, such as:
- Oesophageal ulcers: this is when stomach acid constantly leaks into the oesophagus and ends up damaging the lining. For long-term sufferers, this can mean ulcers form, which can cause difficulty in swallowing and chest pain, and lead to longer term damage.
- Scarred oesophagus: GORD causes damage to the ring of muscles that separates the gullet from the stomach, as well as to the gullet itself. Over time, this can cause the tissues to become scarred and the tube to become narrower causing difficulty in swallowing.
- Weakening of the oesphageal muscle so the oesophagus becomes less efficient at propelling food downwards.
- Barrett’s oesophagus: this means that the cells in your gullet have started to change. Over a long period of time, if left untreated this can develop into cancer in a small number of people.
- Oesophageal cancer: this is when the cells in your gullet grow in an uncontrolled way. If you notice your GORD symptoms are getting worse, find it difficult to swallow or have unexplained weight loss, see a doctor and seek an assessment.
Some of the tests to diagnose GORD that your consultant might recommend include:
- Endoscopy – this provides direct visualisation of your oesophagus and stomach, allows biopsies to be taken and also provides a good overall assessment of your oesophageal health.
- Barium tests – those are used to help visualise parts of the gastrointestinal tract (gut) such as the oesophagus (gullet), stomach and small intestines. The gut doesn’t show up well on ordinary x-rays. However, if you drink a white ‘chalky’ liquid that contains a chemical called barium sulphate, the outlines of the gut show up clearly on x-rays. This is because x-rays don’t pass through barium. These tests can help assess your swallowing ability and help identify any problems in your gullet.
- Manometry – this helps doctors see how well the muscle of your oesophagus is working. Manometry can help rule out other potential causes of your symptoms and is useful in the lead up to surgery.This test involves passing a thin tube up your nose and down into your oesophagus. The tube contains sensors that can detect the pressure in your oesophagus.
- pH monitoring – this test involves a doctor passing a thin tube through your nose. This thin catheter will measure your oesophageal acid level (known as pH) for the next 24 – 96 hours.
- Blood tests
If the tests show that you have GORD, your consultant might recommend lifestyle changes and prescription medications. The medication your doctor recommends will be based on the severity of your case. Over-the-counter medications will usually only help if you have a mild transient case of acid reflux.
However, if your symptoms don’t improve, don’t ignore them as you may find the problem only gets worse. Take over-the-counter medicines to start with, preferably alongside dietary and lifestyle changes, and if you don’t notice any improvement, you might be a candidate for surgery.
If surgery looks like the best option to stop your symptoms, the team here at St John & St Elizabeth Hospital has been offering advanced surgery for GORD for over 20 years, and will support you every step of the way.
Medically reviewed by Mr Majid Hashemi - MB ChB FRCS (Gen) on 24/11/2024