Evaluation of 142 consecutive laparoscopic fundoplications in children: Effects of the learning curve and technical choice

Purpose: This retrospective study describes the 5-year experience of a single surgeon with 142 consecutive laparoscopic fundoplications in children and analyzes the results in terms of the surgeon's teaming curve and the choice of technique. Methods: The patients were 44 girls (40%) and 98 boys (60%) with an age range of 3 months to 18 years (mean, 5.35 years). Indications for surgery included medically refractory reflux associated with vomiting, pneumopathy, otorhinolaryngologic pathology, failure to thrive, esophagitis, apnea and bradycardia, or anemia. The laparoscopic surgery used 5 trocars of 5 mm or 3 mm, with a 30 degrees telescope. Results: Laparoscopic fundoplication was successful in 139 cases. The authors performed 13 Nissen techniques without short gastric vessel division (SGVD), 47 Toupets without SGVD, 9 Toupets with SGVD, and 70 Nissens with SGVD. Mean operating time was 105 minutes (range, 45 to 300). Mean time was 125 minutes for the first 60 cases and 93 minutes for the other 79 cases). Intraoperative and postoperative complication rates were 0.5% and 2%, respectively, and the complications occurred in the first 60 cases. Mean postoperative hospital stay was 3 days (range, 2 to 14). Conclusions: The rate of complication caused by the laparoscopic procedure was acceptable, and it decreased with the surgeon's experience. Complications and conversions to open technique occurred only in the beginning of the operator's experience. Dysphagia, epigastric pain, gas bloating, and early reflux recurrences were noted among the first 60 cases but seemed to be consecutive to the fact that the gastric vessels were not divided. J Pediatr Surg 36:921-926. Copyright (C) 2001 by W.B. Saunders Company.