procedure since 2012. Interestingly,
after suffering from GERD himself
for years despite medical therapy,
Dr. Buckley underwent the LINX
procedure in 2013. “My symptoms
subsided completely and I no longer
had to take medications,” he says. “It
was pretty amazing.”
Dr. Buckley, who has a longstanding interest in GERD and
conducts clinical research on LINX,
is among a small group of surgeons at
just three centers in the United States
authorized to train other surgeons in
the LINX procedure. To date, he has
trained more than 40 surgeons from
around the country.
Dr. Buckley has also treated more
than 100 patients thus far, including
Bryan Tuttle, PT, DPT, a physical
therapist at the Scott & White Sports
Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinic
in Georgetown, Texas. Mr. Tuttle
underwent the procedure in 2013.
“I had frequent painful heartburn,
a dry cough, and couldn’t sleep well,”
says Mr. Tuttle, who was taking
expensive daily medications that were
not really helping. “I was only 27 and
was also worried about the long-term
damage to my esophagus.”
The LINX device, which is approved
by the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA), is a small ring of titanium beads
with magnetic centers that resembles a
baby bracelet. The surgeon places the
LINX device around the esophagus just
above the stomach. Through magnetic
attraction, the device functions like
a normal sphincter, allowing food
and liquid to pass into the stomach
while preventing stomach acids from
spilling back into the esophagus. While
typically the LINX device is implanted
via five small punctures in the abdomen,
Dr. Buckley recently performed the
world’s first single-incision laparoscopic
LINX procedure via a small incision in
the navel.
Dr. Buckley explains that LINX
doesn’t permanently alter the anatomy,
unlike traditional surgery, which can
have undesirable side effects. LINX
also allows patients to burp or vomit,
which are necessary functions. And
unlike medications, which address only
the symptoms of GERD, LINX treats
the cause of the disease — the weak
sphincter muscle.
their medications or were taking a lower
dose, which matches the results for
patients who had surgery. Dr. Buckley’s
own research, which has been published
in major journals, demonstrates that
patients’ quality of life is significantly
improved following LINX.
Mr. Tuttle can speak to the benefits
Patients go home the same day
of their LINX procedure and are
encouraged to eat a normal diet
immediately. By contrast, patients
undergoing traditional surgery stay
overnight in the hospital and must be
on