5-448.33:

You have had an operation on your stomach. It involved enlarging the passage between your oesophagus and your stomach.

The oesophagus is usually closed by a sphincter muscle at the junction to the stomach. This is meant to prevent the stomach contents and gastric acid being regurgitated into the oesophagus. Only during swallowing does the oesophagus briefly open its sphincter muscle to the stomach.

If the passage from the oesophagus to the stomach is too narrow, surgery can widen it. Then, to support the oesophageal sphincter, part of the stomach can, for example, be wrapped around the lower part of the oesophagus. This involves wrapping this piece around the oesophagus like a collar, and stitching in place there.

A laparoscopy was first carried out so that your stomach could be operated on. A laparoscopy first involves making a small incision in the abdomen. A tube with a camera is pushed through this incision into the abdomen. This camera sends pictures of the inside of the abdomen to a screen. Tools such as forceps and scissors can be inserted through other small incisions in the abdomen.

Then your abdomen was opened for the operation by making a large incision through your skin.