• Luigi Bonavina, Tom R DeMeester, and Robert A Ganz.
• Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, University of Milano Medical School, Division of General Surgery, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, Via Morandi 30 20097, San Donato Milanese, Milan, Italy. luigi.bonavina@unimi.it
• Expert Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2012 Dec 1;6(6):667-74.

AbstractGastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), commonly manifested by heartburn or regurgitation, is a chronic, progressive condition in which failed sphincter function allows the contents of the stomach to reflux into the esophagus, the airways and the mouth. Chronic GERD affects 10% of Western society. The majority of patients receive adequate relief from proton pump inhibitors, but up to 40% have incomplete relief of symptoms that cannot be addressed by increasing the dose of medications. The laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication is the surgical gold standard; however, the level of technical difficulty and its side effects have limited its use to less than 1% of the GERD population. These factors have contributed to the propensity of patients to persist with medical therapy, even when inadequate to control symptoms and complications of the disease. Consequently, a significant gap in the treatment continuum for GERD remains evident in current clinical practice. The LINX(™) Reflux Management System (Torax Medical) is designed to provide a permanent solution to GERD by augmenting the physiologic function of the sphincter barrier with a simple and reproducible laparoscopic procedure that does not alter gastric anatomy and can be easily reversed if necessary.

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