Evaluation of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQL) in Patients with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) Before and After Nissen Fundoplication Surgery Avaliação da Qualidade de Vida no Pré e Pós-Operatório dos Pacientes com Doença do Refluxo Gastroesofágico (GERD) Submetidos à Cirurgia de Fundoplicatura à Nissen

Objectives: Evaluate quality-of-life in patients with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) before and after Nissen fundoplication surgery. Materials and Methods: Eighteen patients with GERD refractory to medical management underwent Nissen fundoplication surgery between June 2006 and December 2007. All surgeries began laparoscopically. The Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease – Health-Related Quality of Life (GERD-HRQL) questionnaire was the instrument used to evaluate quality-of-life. The questionnaire was administered under the supervision of the same interviewer at the time of hospitalization and 90 days after surgery, during outpatient follow-up or by telephone. Results: For all the questions in the questionnaire – except those related to dysphagia – there was a statistically significant (p<0.05) reduction in the post-operative averages in relation to the preoperative averages. Averages of the sum of the 10 questions were 27.1 (+6.61) pre-operatively and 6.61 (+2.27) post operatively. The difference between the means was statistically significant (p<0.05), consistent with an improvement in symptomatology after surgical treatment. Conclusions: Laparoscopic or open Nissen fundoplication surgery, in addition to correcting the pathophysiologic defects of GERD, demonstrated its ability to provide patients with this disease with a significant improvement in symptomatology and quality-of-life.