A novel methodology for diagnosing and treating gastroesophageal reflux disease is provided. These methodologies are based on the discovery of a new disease mechanism called hereinafter 'reflux carditis', which is a novel mechanistic view of reflux disease that recognizes cardiac mucosa, which has heretofore been regarded as a normal epithelium in the stomach and an abnormal epithelium in the esophagus, as an abnormal mucosa in both the esophagus and stomach.
METHODOLOGIES FOR THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF GASTROESOPHAGEAL REFLUX DISEASE