1. Heartburn: Foods to Eat, Foods to Avoid Slideshow Pictures
2. Digestive Disease Myths Slideshow Pictures
3. Take the GERD Quiz

Medical Author:

John P. Cunha, DO, FACOEP

John P. Cunha, DO, FACOEP

John P. Cunha, DO, is a U.S. board-certified Emergency Medicine Physician. Dr. Cunha's educational background includes a BS in Biology from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and a DO from the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences in Kansas City, MO. He completed residency training in Emergency Medicine at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, New Jersey.

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Medical Editor:

Bhupinder Anand, MD

If prescription drugs are not relieving heartburn, or if the patient has serious complications of heartburn, surgery may be required. The surgery is called fundoplication. Its purpose is to tighten the lower esophageal sphincter muscle. The stomach is repositioned in such a way as to prevent acid from flowing backward into the esophagus. This surgery is successful in 70%-95% of people, depending on the severity of the disease. Laparoscopic fundoplication tends to yield better results than invasive surgery.

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