Other means of controlling the symptoms of GERD are medications and surgery. Medical treatments include all kinds of drugs (antacids, histamine antagonists, proton pump inhibitors, etc) that can be effective in preventing the gastric acids from reaching inside the esophagus. Surgery provides permanent results and it is performed at the level of the esophagus.
If abnormal activity of the lower esophageal sphincter is the cause of GERD, surgery can improve its functioning either by tightening the inner walls of the esophagus in order to increase pressure, or by reshaping the sphincter to better seal the lower end of the esophagus.