Efficacy of antireflux surgery in children with or without neurological impairment: a systematic review

Abstract

Background

Antireflux surgery is commonly performed in children, yet evidence for its efficacy is limited. The aim of this review was to determine the effect of antireflux surgery with regard to objective measures of quality of life (QoL) and value of upper gastrointestinal investigations in neurologically normal (NN) and neurologically impaired (NI) children.

Methods

A systematic review was conducted of articles reporting children undergoing antireflux surgery in whom preoperative and postoperative objective testing was performed. Primarily, Embase, CINAHL, MEDLINE and PubMed were searched from inception to April 2019. Methodological Index for Non-randomized Studies (MINORS) criteria were used to assess article quality.

Results

Of 789 articles, 14 met the eligibility criteria, 12 prospective observational and 2 retrospective studies. The median MINORS score was 59·4 (i.q.r. 39 to 62·5) per cent. Seven studies reported assessment of validated QoL measures before and after antireflux surgery in 148 children. Follow-up ranged from 1 to 180 months. All studies confirmed significant improvements in QoL measures among NN and NI children at all follow-up points. Eleven studies reported on preoperative and postoperative investigations in between 416 and 440 children children. Follow-up ranged from 0·5 to 180 months. Nine studies confirmed improvements in gastro-oesophageal reflux using 24-h oesophageal pH monitoring with or without manometry, but conflicting results were identified for four studies reporting gastric emptying. No studies reported fluoroscopy or endoscopy adequately.

Conclusion

Based on the results of studies of low-to-moderate quality, antireflux surgery improved QoL and reduced oesophageal acid exposure in NN and NI children in the short and medium term. Although antireflux surgery is a common elective operation, the lack of rigorous preoperative and postoperative evaluation(s) in the majority of patient-reported studies is striking.