Quality of life in children who have undergone fundoplication surgery for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease: a review of literature

Health-related quality of life (QOL) in children is not just related to physical symptoms but also how a disease impacts them psychosocially-mental, emotional, behavioral, and school functioning, all of which contribute to the growth and development of a child. A chronic disease, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) characterized by troublesome symptoms and complications, can significantly impair a child's QOL. This makes it vital that treatment options aim at addressing this. Fundoplication, the surgical treatment for GERD, is one of the most common upper gastrointestinal surgeries performed by pediatric surgeons. As with any medical treatment, there is an inherent need to determine the efficacy of the procedure not only in terms of objective physiologic measures but also QOL measures for both the children and parents. There are currently limited and inconsistent data on QOL outcomes postfundoplication in children with GERD. This literature review aims at critically analyzing the data by comparing current trends with research and identifying gaps in evidence to justify the need for further research within the field.