41.   Ninety parents and patients returned the follow up questionnaire or completed the questionnaire by telephone.

42.   None of the children who did not recover were receiving medical care for symptoms of constipation at the time of follow up.

43.   Ideally, all patients should have had the same number of follow up visits.

44.   None had connective tissue disease then or in the follow up period.

45.   One of the patients with normal test result at follow up had had erosive oesophagitis before repeat funcoplication, presumably with abnormal reflux.

46.   As recurrence may appear many years after the operation, however, long -- though not particularly frequent -- follow up is required.

47.   The mean follow up period was four years.

48.   The pain persisted on follow up two years later.

49.   During the period of follow up, no significant decrease of the median extent of gastric metaplasia occurred in both groups.

50.   Compliance with the oral treatment was assessed by questioning at the control or at follow up.