A GERD specialist should be able to show you why reflux persists, not just prescribe around it.
When heartburn continues despite medication, or surgery is on the table, the next step is objective esophageal testing, not another trial of pills.
When heartburn continues despite medication, or surgery is on the table, the next step is objective esophageal testing, not another trial of pills.
Most reflux is managed on symptoms alone, and for many patients that's enough. But when heartburn persists despite acid-suppressing medication, or when a patient is being considered for anti-reflux surgery, treatment decisions need to rest on objective data about how much acid is actually refluxing, and how well the esophagus is functioning, not on symptoms alone.
Not every case of persistent heartburn is acid reflux. Esophageal dysfunction, poor clearance, or a motility disorder can all produce symptoms that look identical to GERD but respond to a completely different treatment. Testing is how that distinction gets made before, not after, a surgical decision.
Because motility disorders and reflux frequently coexist, esophageal manometry is a standard part of the pre-surgical workup here, confirming the esophagus can clear refluxed acid normally before any procedure is scheduled.
Patients with heartburn or regurgitation not responding to medication, atypical reflux symptoms, or anyone being evaluated for anti-reflux surgery who needs objective confirmation before that decision is made.