Five percent of patients who undergo fundoplication will require reoperation. The cause of this high failure rate and the best management for these patients remains poorly understood. The aim of this study was to identify patterns and causes of failure of primary antireflux procedures.

Retrospective review of the medical records of patients who underwent revisional antireflux surgery at 2 tertiary referral centers.

Between 1998 and 2003, 39 patients underwent laparoscopic revisional antireflux surgery. The time between primary and revisional surgery was 5.9 ± 0.4 years. Primary operations included 26 laparoscopic and 13 open fundoplications. All of the 39 revisional operations were attempted laparoscopically, and there was 1 open conversion. Revisional procedures included 31 Nissen and 8 partial fundoplications. The duration of surgery was 138 ± 10 minutes. Length of hospital stay was 2.1 ± 0.3 days. At a mean follow-up of 6 months, reflux resolved in 94% of patients. Morbidity occurred in 23% of patients. Four types of failure were identified: type 1 = herniation of the gastroesophageal junction through the hiatus with or without the wrap (n = 21); type 2 = paraesophageal hernia (n = 9); type 3 = malformation of the wrap (n = 2). Six patients had primary wrap failure, and 1 had esophageal dysmotility.

Laparoscopic revisional antireflux surgery is effective treatment for patients with failed primary fundoplications. Successful revisional surgery depends on identification and correction of the reason for primary fundoplication failure.