Fundoplication Center - Lowell, MA
Lowell Surgeon Doctors for FundoplicationType of Physician: Surgeon What is a Surgeon? A certification by the Board of Surgery; practitioners manage a wide range of surgical conditions affecting almost any area of the body. The surgeon provides the diagnosis and the care to patients before, during and after surgery. The surgeon is usually responsible for the comprehensive management of trauma victims and the critically ill. The surgeon has special knowledge and skills in birth defects, tumors, infections and metabolic problems relating to the head and neck, breast, abdomen, extremities including the hand, and the gastrointestinal, vascular and endocrine systems. A general surgeon is expected to be familiar with the most relevant features of other surgical specialties in order to recognize problems in those areas and to know when to refer a patient to another specialist. Specialty: Surgery Common Name: Surgeon Doctors in Lowell * Pliskin & Spirito Associates PC  Pliskin & Spirito Associates PC  Abdul Ghaffar MD  Stephen J Scully MD  Lowell Surgical Associates  Lowell Surgical Associates  Lowell Surgical Associates  Lowell Surgical Associates  Janaki Varadhan MD  Paula M Muto MD  Andover Surgical Associates  Andover Surgical Associates  Andover Surgical Associates  Andover Surgical Associates  Andover Urology Associates  Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Surgical Oncology  Plastic Surgery Center  Lahey Hitchcock Medical Center General Surgery  Lahey Hitchcock Medical Center General Surgery  Lahey Hitchcock Medical Center General Surgery  Lahey Clinic Transplant  Lahey Hitchcock Medical Center General Surgery  John M ODonnell MD  Lahey Hitchcock Medical Center General Surgery  Lahey Hitchcock Medical Center General Surgery  Lahey Hitchcock Medical Center General Surgery  New England Cosmetic Surgery PC  Frederick W Hays MD  V Gokul Prakash MD  Susan L Cahill MD  Surgical Associates of Concord PC  Middlesex Surgical Associates Inc  Middlesex Surgical Associates Inc  Middlesex Surgical Associates Inc  Commonwealth Surgical Associates  Commonwealth Surgical Associates  Commonwealth Surgical Associates  Commonwealth Surgical Associates  Commonwealth Surgical Associates  William F Flynn Jr. MD  Twin Brook Surgical Associates  The Foot Specialist  Merrimack Valley Surgical Specialist  Nicholas Tsaparlis MD  Incorporated North Suburban Surgical Associates  Christos A Hasiotis MD  Michael Olstein MD  Henry Haynes MD  Raymond S Murano DPM  Melrose Surgical Associates  Melrose Surgical Associates  Melrose Surgical Associates  Hand Surgery  Newton Wellesley Surgeons  Newton-Wellesley Center for General and WLS  Newton Wellesley Surgeons  Newton Wellesley Surgeons  Newton-Wellesley Center for General and WLS  Newton Wellesley Surgeons  F X Rockett MD & B P Rockett MD PC  Saltzman Urological Associates PC  Saltzman Urological Associates PC  Newton Wellesley Surgeons  Newton Wellesley Surgeons  Associated Surgeons  Robert Ewton MD  Mount Auburn Hospital Surgery  Associated Surgeons  Richard D Krikorian MD  Peter R Maggs MD  Russell J Nauta MD  Susan E Pories MD  Associated Surgeons  Associated Surgeons  Peggy J Howrigan MD  Felicito L Faller MD  Caritas Surgical Group  Caritas Surgical Group  New England Surgical Associates PC  Cambridge Health Alliance Surgery Dept  Cambridge Health Alliance Surgery Dept  Cambridge Health Alliance Surgery Dept  Cambridge Health Alliance Surgery Dept  Cambridge Health Alliance Surgery Dept  Cambridge Health Alliance Surgery Dept  Cambridge Health Alliance Surgery Dept  Cambridge Health Alliance Surgery Dept  Cambridge Health Alliance Surgery Dept  Cambridge Health Alliance Surgery Dept  Cambridge Health Alliance Surgery Dept  Cambridge Breast Center  Cambridge Health Alliance Surgery Dept  David E Mullane MD  John Yee MD  Fugelso & Rachlin MDs  Peter M Mowschenson MD  Michael B Yaffe MD  MetroWest Surgical Associates  Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates Surgery  Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates Surgery Lowell, MassachusettsUpcoming Local Events2012-05-26
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FundoplicationRead the Fundoplication article » What is fundoplication?Fundoplication is the standard surgical method for treating gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD). GERD causes inflammation, pain (heartburn), and other serious complications (such as scarring and stricture) of the esophagus. GERD results when acid refluxes (regurgitates, or backwashes) from the stomach back up into the esophagus. Under normal conditions, there is a barrier to reflux of acid. One part of this barrier is the lower-most muscle of the esophagus (called the lower esophageal sphincter). Most of the time, this muscle is contracted (constricted, or tight), which closes off the esophagus from the stomach. In patients with GERD, the sphincter does not function normally. The muscle is either weak or relaxes inappropriately. Fundoplication is a surgical technique that strengthens the barrier to acid reflux when the sphincter does not function normally. What happens during fundoplication?During the fundoplication procedure, the part of the stomach that is closest to the entry of the esophagus (the fundus of the stomach) is gathered, wrapped, and sutured (sewn) around the lower end of the esophagus and the lower esophageal sphincter. (The gathering and suturing of one tissue to another is called plication.) This procedure increases the pressure at the lower end of the esophagus and thereby reduces acid reflux. Also, during fundoplication, other surgical steps frequently are taken that also may reduce acid reflux. For instance, if the patient has a hiatal hernia (which occurs in 80% of patients with GERD), the hernial sac may be pulled down from the chest and sutured so that it remains within the abdomen. Additionally, the opening in the diaphragm through which the esophagus passes from the chest into the abdomen also may be tightened. Fundoplication may be done using a large incision (laparotomy in the abdomen or thoracotomy in the chest) or a ... Recommended Reading Related to FundoplicationWhat is achalasia?Achalasia is a rare disease of the muscle of the esophagus (swallowing tube). The term achalasia means "failure to relax" and refers to the inability of the lower esophageal sphincter (a ring of muscle situated between the lower esophagus and the stomach) to open and let food pass into the stomach. As a result, patients with achalasia have difficulty in swallowing food.
How does the normal esophagus function?The esophagus has three functional parts. The uppermost part is the upper esophageal sphincter, a specialized ring of muscle that forms the upper end of the tubular esophagus and separates the esophagus from the throat. The upper sphincter remains closed most of the time to prevent food in the main part of the esophagus from backing up into the throat. The main part of the esophagus is referred to as the body of the esophagus, a long, muscular tube approximately 20 cm (8 in) in length. The th... Other Related Fundoplication ArticlesEmergency Contact for Lowell
Nearby Lowell Hospitals *Saints Medical Center Lowell General Hospital HC Solomon Mental Health Center Tewksbury Hospital Isham Health Center Caritas Holy Family Hospital and Medical Center Lawrence General Hospital Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital Northeast Rehabilitation Health Network Southern New Hampshire Medical Center St Joseph Hospital Lahey Clinic Medical Center Emerson Hospital Nashoba Valley Medical Center HEALTHSOUTH New England Rehabilitation Hospital Whittier Rehabilitation Hospital Haverhill Merrimack Valley Hospital Winchester Hospital Baldpate Hospital Parkland Medical Center Hampstead Hospital Melrose Wakefield Hospital McLean Hospital Lawrence Memorial Hospital North Shore Medical Center Somerville Hospital Kindred Hospital Boston North Shore Mount Auburn Hospital Whidden Memorial Hospital Youville Hospital and Rehabilitation Center Cambridge Hospital Newton Wellesley Hospital Caritas St Elizabeth's Medical Center Franciscan Hospital for Children Lawrence F Quigley Memorial Hospital Kindred Hospital Boston Arbour HRI Hospital North Shore Children's Hospital Salem Hospital & the Birthplace Beverly Hospital M I T Medical Shaughnessy-Kaplan Rehabilitation Hospital Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary Shriners Hospitals for Children Boston Burn Hospital UMass Memorial Marlborough Hospital Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Children's Hospital Boston Dana Farber Cancer Institute Brigham & Women's Hospital HealthAlliance Hospital Leominster Campus Tufts New England Medical Center Elliot Hospital New England Baptist Hospital VA Boston Healthcare System Jamaica Plain Campus Anna Jaques Hospital UMass Memorial Clinton Hospital Boston Medical Center Arbour Hospital Health Alliance Burbank Hospital Kindred Specialty Hospital Natick MetroWest Medical Center Leonard Morse Hospital Radius Specialty Hospital Boston Bournewood Hospital Catholic Medical Center MetroWest Medical Center Framingham Union Hospital Faulkner Hospital Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital Needham Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for the Aged Lemuel Shattuck Hospital Manchester VA Medical Center Massachusetts Mental Health Center VA Boston Healthcare System West Roxbury Campus Westborough State Hospital Featured Articles*Provider Directory Terms of Use: The WebMD 'Provider Directory' is provided by WebMD for use by the general public as a quick reference of information about Providers. The Provider Directory is not intended as a tool for verifying the credentials, qualifications, or abilities of any Provider contained therein. Inclusion in the Provider Directory does not imply recommendation or endorsement nor does omission in the Provider Directory imply WebMD disapproval. |
Suggested Reading on Fundoplication by Our Doctors
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Related Diseases & Conditions
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Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
- GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) is a condition in which the acidified liquid contents of the stomach backs up into the esophagus. The symptoms of uncomplicated GERD are heartburn, regurgitation, and nausea. Effective treatment is available for most patients with GERD.
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Hiatal Hernia
- A hiatal hernia is an anatomical abnormality in which part of the stomach protrudes through the diaphragm and up into the chest. Causes of hiatal hernia are a larger than normal esophageal hiatus. There are two types of hiatal hernias, sliding, or para-esophageal. When symptoms of hiatal hernia appear, they are similar to GERD symptoms. Hiatal hernia treatment is generally surgery.
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Barrett's Esophagus
- Barrett's esophagus occurs as a complication of chronic gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), primarily in white males. GERD refers to the reflux of acidic fluid from the stomach into the esophagus (the swallowing tube), and is classically associated with heartburn.
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Esophagitis
- Esophagitis is caused by an infection or irritation of the esophagus. Infections that cause esophagitis include candida yeast infection of the esophagus as well as herpes.
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Achalasia
- Achalasia is a disease of the esophagus that mainly affects young adults. Abnormal function of nerves and muscles of the esophagus causes difficulty swallowing and sometimes chest pain.
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GERD and Acid Reflux in Infants and Children
- GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) is the upward movement of stomach content, including acid, into the esophagus and sometimes into or out of the mouth. Common symptoms of GERD in children include colic, feeding problems, poor growth, frequent vomiting or coughing, heartburn, regurgitation, recurrent wheezing, pneumonia, choking, or gagging. Treatment may involve elevating the child's bed, keeping the child upright after eating, limiting foods that seem to make the reflux worse, encouraging your child to exercise, and serving several small meals a day.
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Schatzki's Ring
- Schatzki (Schatzki's) ring, is a narrow ring of tissue located just above the junction of the esophagus and stomach. The cause of Schatzki ring is not clearly known, however, some doctors believe they are caused by long term acid reflux. The symptoms of a Schatzki ring is primarily poorly chewed food that stays in chunks becoming stuck in the esophagus. Diagnosis of Schatzki's ring is barium x-ray or endoscopy. Treatment is generally a procedure to stretch or fracture the rings.
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The Digestive System
- Digestion is the complex process of turning food you eat into the energy you need to survive. The digestive process also involves creating waste to be eliminated, and is made of a series of muscles that coordinate the movement of food.
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Heartburn
- Heartburn is a burning sensation experienced from acid reflux (GERD). Symptoms of heartburn include chest pain, burning in the throat, difficulty swallowing, the feeling of food sticking in the throat, and a burning feeling in the chest. Causes of heartburn include dietary habits, lifestyle habits, and medical causes. Treatments for heartburn include lifestyle changes, OTC medication, prescription medication, and surgery.
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Reflux Laryngitis
- Acid backing up into the larynx (voice box), it causes reflux laryngitis. Irritation of the lining of the esophagus, larynx, and throat can lead to esophagitis, sinusitis, strictures, hoarseness, throat clearing, swallowing problems, asthma, chronic cough, and more. Typical symptoms of reflux laryngitis include heartburn, hoarseness, or a sensation of a foreign body in the throat. Reflux laryngitis can be treated with OTC medication, prescription medication, and lifestyle changes.
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