HYDERABAD: In a major breakthrough in the treatment of gastro-esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), commonly known as acidity, the Asian Institute of Gastroenterology (AIG) here brought a newly-invented Japanese technology to India, which is considered to be the most effective and cheapest non-surgical treatment in the world.
An endoscopic surgery, known as the Anti Reflux Mucosectomy (ARMS) method, takes only 30 minutes to treat even severe acidity problems. Now available with the AIG, the ARMS method can be done as outpatient with minimum complications. It involves making minor scars to the tissue surrounding the esophageal sphincter, in order to regrow the damaged valve that separates the stomach and esophagus.
Dr. D Nageshwar Reddy, president of the World Endoscopy Organisation, said people suffer with acidity when the acid in stomach is pumped up to the esophagus. If the valve is damaged, the acid reaches the walls of esophagus and causes severe pain to the patient. If this continues to happen on a regular basis, the valve gets completely damaged and causes chest pain, asthma, heartburn and several other complications.
Though the available medication gives relief to acidity patients, it is not a long term solution. Besides, heavy use of drugs can cause additional complications to the patients. To find a permanent solution, a Japanese doctor Prof. Haro Innoue of Tokyo University recently invented the ARMS method, which is already performed on 40 patients there.
For the first time, outside Japan, ARMS method was used to treat a 30-year-old woman from Tirupati at the AIG recently. She was able to go to work two days after the treatment.
Availability of this treatment can be a major relief to around 250 million population in India, which is suffering with various acidity-related issues. Though it costs around Rs 4 lakh in Japan, the ARMS technique was modified to cost only Rs 30,000 in India.
However, it would be performed only on those patients with severe acidity problems. “ARMS is not recommended to all kinds of acidity problems. We recommend it only if it is not curable with medication,” said Dr GV Rao, director and chief of surgical gastroenterology at AIG.