The article titled “Complications in Antireflux Surgery: National-Based Analysis of Laparoscopic and Open Fundoplications” by Rantanen and colleagues is a retrospective analysis of 10 846 fundoplications performed in Finland from January 1992 to December 2001. Information was collected from 3 Finnish administrative databases and a questionnaire was sent to hospitals. The study compares 3987 open procedures with 6859 laparoscopic procedures.
The annual number of antireflux operations increased during this 10-year period, with all of the increase related to laparoscopy. Surgical mortality and the overall rate of serious complications did not differ between groups, but claims for injuries and dysphagia were higher with laparoscopy.