Continuous 20-24 hr Esophageal pH-monitoring in infancy.
With the aid of a specially designed combination electrode for infants, 20-24 hr monitoring of esophageal pH was undertaken in 15 infants, aged 5 wk-11 mo. Results demonstrated that the reflux time pH less than or equal to 4 was valid for this age group as for adults, to differentiate between physiologic and pathologic reflux. A new parameter, that of clearance time, defined as normalization time required to return to initial pH, was introduced to improve pH assessment. Both parameters showed a highly significant correlation in relation to each other, and were consistently in accord with the clinical symptoms.
D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007223:Infant; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013997:Time Factors