Impedance planimetry (EndoFLIPTM) and surgical outcomes after Hill compared to Toupet fundoplication

Introduction Endoluminal functional lumen imaging probe (EndoFLIP) provides a real-time assessment of gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) compliance during fundoplication. Given the limited data on EndoFLIP measurements during the Hill procedure, we investigated the impact of the Hill procedure on GEJ compliance compared to Toupet fundoplication.Methods Patients who underwent robotic Hill or Toupet fundoplication with intraoperative EndoFLIP between 2017 and 2022 were included. EndoFLIP measurements of the GEJ included cross sectional surface area (CSA), intra-balloon pressure, high pressure zone length (HPZ), distensibility index (DI), and compliance. Subjective reflux symptoms, gastroesophageal reflux disease-health related quality of life (GERD-HRQL) score, and dysphagia score were assessed pre-operatively as well as at short- and longer-term follow-up.Results One-hundred and fifty-four patients (71.9%) had a Toupet fundoplication while sixty (28%) patients underwent the Hill procedure. The CSA [27.7 +/- 10.9 mm(2) vs 42.2 +/- 17.8 mm(2), p < 0.0001], pressure [29.5 +/- 6.2 mmHg vs 33.9 +/- 8.5 mmHg, p = 0.0009], DI [0.9 +/- 0.4 mm(2)/mmHg vs 1.3 +/- 0.6 mm(2)/mmHg, p = 0.001], and compliance [25.9 +/- 12.8 mm(3)/mmHg vs 35.4 +/- 13.4 mm(3)/mmHg, p = 0.01] were lower after the Hill procedure compared to Toupet. However, there was no difference in post-fundoplication HPZ between procedures [Hill: 2.9 +/- 0.4 cm, Toupet: 3.1 +/- 0.6 cm, p = 0.15]. Follow-up showed no significant differences in GERD-HRQL scores, overall dysphagia scores or atypical symptoms between groups (p > 0.05).Conclusion The Hill procedure is as effective to the Toupet fundoplication in surgically treating gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) despite the lower CSA, DI, and compliance after the Hill procedure. Both procedures led to DI < 2 mm(2)/mmHg with no significant differences in dysphagia reporting (12-24) months after the procedure. Further studies to elucidate a cutoff value for DI for postoperative dysphagia development are still warranted.