Hiatal Hernia Repair & Fundoplication In St. Petersburg, FL

There is no single best reflux operation. The right one depends on your anatomy, how well your esophagus moves, your symptoms, and your goals. Dr. Grandhige performs all the major options and chooses based on your test results, not on the one procedure he happens to prefer. He has performed over 600 fundoplications, over 600 LINX procedures, and over 200 TIF procedures, and he is the only board-certified surgeon in the Tampa Bay area who performs all three with regularity. In 2026 he is adding RefluxStop, which will make him the only surgeon in the region offering all four.

Fundoplication rebuilds the reflux barrier using your own stomach tissue, wrapped around the lower esophagus. Dr. Grandhige performs every configuration: Nissen (a full 360-degree wrap), Toupet (a posterior 270-degree wrap), Watson (an anterior 270-degree wrap), and Dor (an anterior partial wrap). It’s durable, it holds up for large hernias, and it has decades of outcome data behind it. Depending on the wrap, it can make burping and vomiting harder.

The LINX system is a ring of magnetic titanium beads placed around the lower esophagus. It resists reflux when stomach pressure rises but opens to let food down, and most patients keep the ability to burp and vomit once early swelling settles. It needs a reasonably strong esophagus to work well, and it can be removed if necessary.

TIF is done entirely through the mouth, with no incisions. It fits a narrow group: mild to moderate reflux, little or no hiatal hernia, and no severe complications. It can’t repair a hernia or the diaphragm, so it’s less durable than the surgical options. Dr. Grandhige is blunt about this and quotes a failure rate of roughly 2% per year. He won’t offer TIF to patients with a significant hernia or to patients who are obese, even though it’s the least invasive choice, because using it outside its indications is how it earned a mixed reputation.

How he decides follows a fixed order: confirm reflux is real, study the anatomy, measure esophageal motility, match your symptoms to the physiology, weigh your priorities such as durability or keeping the ability to burp, and only then choose a procedure or recommend no surgery at all. As he puts it, the operation is the last step; the decision-making is the surgery.

St. Petersburg patients are seen at Tampa Bay Reflux Institute, 1315 South Howard Ave, Suite 101, in South Tampa, a short drive over the Gandy or Howard Frankland bridge. Every foregut operation is performed at one hospital, HCA South Tampa, with the same operating room team and Dr. Grandhige’s own physician assistant on every case. That consistency is one of the clearest predictors of safety and durability, and it’s hard to match when a surgeon operates occasionally across several hospitals with rotating staff.

Distance is handled deliberately. When testing can be done closer to home in the St. Petersburg area, the office arranges it there, so you aren’t crossing the bay for every appointment. The team consolidates studies, handles scheduling, and keeps the process moving. His office medical assistants have been with him for over a decade, and his physician assistant, who knows your specific operation, is reachable after hours instead of a generic call line.

The timeline is predictable. New patients are usually seen within two weeks and always within four. If your testing is already complete, one visit is often enough and surgery can be scheduled around four weeks out. If testing is still needed, it’s a two-visit process about four weeks apart, with surgery generally within about eight weeks of your first visit. The office handles insurance authorization for you, which typically adds four to six weeks.

To reach the practice: call 813.922.2920, Monday through Friday, 9am to 6pm, or email info@tampareflux.com. The office is at 1315 South Howard Ave, Suite 101, Tampa, FL 33606.

If reflux is disrupting your sleep, your diet, or your voice, the next step is a clear diagnosis, not another medication guess. A consultation tells you whether reflux is truly present, why it’s happening, and what each option can and can’t do for your specific anatomy. Once you understand that, the right decision is usually clear, whether that’s surgery, medication, or no procedure at all.