How 'table tennis ball' implant in stomach can ease chronic heartburn

Patients battling severe heartburn could find relief from a small silicone ball implanted in the stomach.

The device, which is a bit smaller than a table-tennis ball, can radically reduce the pain in the chest caused when corrosive stomach acid that breaks down food leaks back up towards the throat.

While heartburn – known as acid reflux or, in severe cases, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease – is common, and can be triggered by eating certain foods, the damage it causes to the oesophagus, which connects the mouth with the stomach, can cause serious complications, including .

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