Immediate and long-term efficacy of persistent throat symptoms to gastric inlet patch ablation.

OBJECTIVE

Efficacy of gastric inlet patch (GIP) ablation using argon plasma coagulation (APC) for patients presenting with persistent throat symptoms was evaluated.

METHODS

Retrospective observational study from a single university hospital. Consecutive patients who had GIP ablation for persistent throat symptoms between 01/10/2018-31/10/2023 were reviewed and patients who met all of the set inclusion and exclusion criteria were included in this study for analysis.

RESULTS

50% (n = 18/36) of patients responded to APC ablation (median follow-up 3 months) with their post-ablation GETS score decreasing by 30-100%. Long-term follow-up results could be obtained from 22 patients (n = 22/36) and 75% (n = 9/12) had their clinical effects maintained (median follow-up 4.5 years; range 2.7-5.8 years).

CONCLUSION

GIP ablation can be a very effective treatment for patients with persistent throat symptoms with its therapeutic effects long-lasting. Future studies should focus on evaluating the optimal patient selection process for GIP ablation for persistent throat symptoms.