Tens of millions of Americans suffer with daily heartburn or other symptoms of reflux such as regurgitation, chronic cough, hoarseness and dental erosions. Until recently these people faced either a lifetime of daily medications, and often incomplete resolution of their symptoms, or the risks of invasive surgery. Now they have a better option. The new Transoral Incisionless Fundoplication procedure, or TIF, using the innovative EsophyX® device is performed completely without incisions and is now available at The Medical Center of Southeast Texas located in Port Arthur, Texas.

The Medical Center is the first hospital in the area to have the TIF procedure. “The TIF procedure can significantly improve quality of life for our patients,” said Matthew Roberts, Chief Executive Officer, “reflux no longer impacts their life like it previously did.”

The TIF procedure is based on established principles of surgical repair of the antireflux barrier, except that it is “surgery from within” performed transorally (through the mouth). The procedure reduces hiatal hernia and creates a valve between the stomach and esophagus restoring the natural, physiological anatomy to prevent reflux. Because the procedure is incisionless, there is reduced pain, reduced recovery and no visible scar.

Recent studies show that TIF can reduce patients’ dependency on medications with 79% of patients remaining off their daily medications after two years and experiencing a dramatic improvement in their quality of life. The Medical Center is very excited to be able to offer our patients the same incredible benefits as more invasive procedures without incisions.

For more information about the TIF EsophyX procedure, visit endogastricsolutions.com.