Efficacy of Endoscopic Vs. Surgical Management of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (Gerd)

Author(s): Hind Osama AlShafar, Radwan Mohamad Jrish, Sara Talib AlMalik, Meera Ozair AlMheiri, Mohammed Ashik Cheerangal, Hind Nabil AlGergawi, Alya Ali AlAmeri, Bashayer Abdulla Alnajjar, Fatima Aldhaheri, Pushpendra kumar nain

Background: Various treatment methods like, medications, endoscopic procedures or surgery have been used to treat chronic and debilitating condition i.e., gastro- esophageal reflux disease (GERD). Because endoscopic and surgical treatments differ in terms of their effectiveness, safety and likelihood of recurrence, which is the better option is still up for debate.

Objective: The goal of this study is to thoroughly examine and compile data from high quality studies that compare surgical and endoscopic treatment for GERD, in order to determine which treatment is superior in efficacy using statistical techniques.

Methods: Articles from 2010 to 2025 were analyzed, including cohort studies, randomized controlled trials and other meta-analyses. Heterogeneity, odds ratios and confidence intervals were extracted from each study and the overall effect was measured.

Results: According to the results, surgery has a 13% better outcome than endoscopic treatments, with a pooled odds ratio of 1.13 (95% CI: 1.06–1.21). However, the degree of variation between the studies was moderate to high (I² = 71.9%), indicating that the findings differed significantly between the studies.

Conclusion: Transoral Incisionless Fundoplication (TIF) and Stretta are examples of more recent endoscopic procedures, which are good choices because they result in fewer complications and enable quick recovery. However, surgery is still more effective in managing GERD symptoms. Each patient's health, preference or presence of any other health issue should all be taken into consideration when selecting the best course of action for them.