Randomized Trial of Medical Versus Surgical Treatment for Refractory Heartburn [1]
Patients with proton-pump inhibitor refractory heartburn have a multitude of underlying causes. In this randomized trial of patients with refractory heartburn, only 21% had symptoms related to gastroesophageal reflux disease. Treatments included fundoplication vs omeprazole and baclofen vs omeprazole. Success at one year was higher in the surgery group than either of the medical therapy groups (67% vs 28% vs 12%).