[Evaluation of the gastroesophageal reflux (GER) in infancy analysed with the subscore of the continuous lower esophageal pH monitoring (pH-monitoring)].
Since GER in infancy tends to disappear as patients grow, operation should be selected carefully. Data of the pH-monitoring collected from 114 cases for last 8 years were analysed. Thirty five cases were observed without operation in view of their younger age (under 6 months) or mild degree of GER evaluated on the basis of clinical signs, radiological, manometric, pH-metric and fiberscopic examination. Four in 5 aggravating cases were compared with 8 improving cases selected from the non-operated 60 cases. The four pH-subscores calculated by Johnson's method were compared between 2 groups. The means and standard deviations of the subscores of the number of the pH less than 4.0 greater in duration than 5 min. were 42.4 +/- 14.791 in the aggravating and 5.7 +/- 0.766 in the improving: those of the duration of the longest episode of pH less than 4.0 were 7.4 +/- 1.996 and 2.5 +/- 0.335. Difference between the both subscores were statistically significant (p less than 0.05). Therefore those subscores can be used as a parameter by which early operation may be chosen rather than subjecting the patient to a prolonged no-operative treatment.
Watanabe
Y
Y
First Department of Surgery, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Japan.
Shinonoya
S
S
Ito
T
T
Harada
T
T
Nagaya
M
M
D004947:Esophagus / Q000378:metabolism*; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies