Reflux Management

Pyloric stenosis happens when the muscle below the stomach is thick and tight. Food cannot pass easily from the stomach to the intestine causing stomach contents to become blocked and begin to back up. Treatment A pyloromyotomy is  an operation to repair the pylorus. During the operation, the surgeon cuts the tight muscle between the [...]

A Gastroesophageal Reflux Study (Gastric Emptying Study) is a diagnostic imaging procedure that measures the time it takes the stomach to empty and detects gastroesophageal reflux. This study can help: Detect gastroesophageal reflux Measure gastric emptying time Detect aspiration Evaluate a reason for nausea and vomiting Evaluate why a child is not gaining weight Assess [...]

A technique of visualising the inside of the airways for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. The patient usually undergoes a general anaesthetic. An instrument (bronchoscope) is inserted into the airways, usually through the nose or mouth, or occasionally through a tracheostomy. This allows the practitioner to examine the patient’s airways for abnormalities such as bleeding, tumours, [...]

A nuclear medicine imaging test was used to confirm that children with respiratory problems may be more likely to develop gastroesophageal reflux disease, according to researchers at SNM’s 55th Annual Meeting. The nuclear imaging technique, known as scintigraphy, was also shown to be more effective in detecting the disease in these children than traditional barium [...]

Parents and guardians can contribute to the success of this test and are often invited to participate. The 24-hour pH probe study is a test that uses a thin probe or tube placed in the oesophagus or food pipe, that connects the mouth to the stomach, to help your doctor diagnose and treat acid reflux. Placement [...]

Probiotics are microorganisms such as bacteria or yeast that are believed to improve health. They are available in supplements and foods. The idea of taking live bacteria or yeast may seem strange at first. After all, we take antibiotics and use antibacterial substances to fight bacteria. But  our bodies naturally teem with such organisms. The digestive system [...]

Acid is produced naturally in the stomach to help digest food and to kill bacteria. This acid is an irritant, so your body produces a natural mucus barrier which protects the lining of your stomach. Omeprazole is from a group of medicines called ‘Proton Pump Inhibitors’. It reduces the amount of acid produced in the [...]

Distinguishing between Gastro-oesophageal reflux (GOR) and Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) in infants is critical to providing appropriate treatment and avoiding over classifying infants with GORD that leads to over testing and over treatment. Paediatricians need to learn how to recognise infants with “simple GOR in whom conservative recommendations are more appropriate, and identifying infants with GORD in [...]

Originally Published in the Daily Mail on 20th July 2010 By Henrietta Norton As with so many first-time parents, my husband Charlie and I had a starry-eyed view of how things would be once we had our much wanted baby. So when Alfie arrived, ten days earlier than expected and following a smooth birth, we [...]

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), in common use for treating gastric reflux symptoms in babies, are unnecessary and ineffective in this age group, concludes an Australian systematic review. Published in Pediatrics, the review of 12 studies of almost 900 children aged 0-17 noted the paucity of evidence to support the current widespread prescribing of PPIs in [...]

Swallowing Dysphagia is the medical term for swallowing difficulties. Some people with dysphagia have problems swallowing certain foods or liquids, while others cannot swallow at all. Other signs of dysphagia include: coughing or choking when eating or drinking bringing food back up, sometimes through the nose a sensation that food is stuck in the throat or [...]

Pain on swallowing food and fluids, a symptom often due to disease of the Oesophagus. The pain may stem from the mouth, throat (pharynx) or Oesophagus (gullet). At times, odynophagia may also be related to the larynx. The mechanism of swallowing is both voluntary and involuntary and starts in the throat and extends to the [...]