TIF Procedure FAQs
For many patients, TIF provides significant GERD symptom relief and improved quality of life. Symptom relief after TIF typically lasts from eight to 10 years.
You will drink only clear liquids for the first 24 hours, then drink full liquids for one week, then eat soft foods for one week and resume your regular diet during the third week. You will have to avoid bread and meat for a month.
You must avoid vigorous physical activity and not lift anything heavier than 5 pounds for three weeks. You can resume aerobic exercise after three weeks but avoid lifting anything heavier than 50 pounds.
Small hiatal hernias can often be repaired during the TIF procedure. Hiatal hernias larger than 2 centimeters cannot be treated with an endoscopic TIF procedure alone and may need to be repaired before TIF, during a laparoscopic surgical procedure called cTIF (TIF with a concomitant hiatal hernia repair).
TIF is a less invasive procedure than Nissen fundoplication, the surgery traditionally performed to repair the valve. During Nissen fundoplication, doctors make an incision in the abdomen and then wrap the top of the stomach all the way around the esophagus to re-create a valve. This wrap acts like a tight belt. This is an invasive procedure that can cause complications.