Pharyngeal pH monitoring in patients with posterior laryngitis.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the diagnostic value of 3-site 24-hour ambulatory pH monitoring in patients with posterior laryngitis (PL) and the prevalence of esophageal abnormalities in this patient group.


METHODS
Twenty patients with PL and 17 healthy volunteers were studied as controls. Control subjects had transnasal esophagogastroduodenoscopy (T-EGD) and ambulatory pH monitoring. Patients underwent T-EGD, ambulatory pH monitoring, and barium esophagram.


RESULTS
T-EGD documented no abnormality in controls. Esophagitis was present in 2 PL patients, and hiatal hernia in 3. Ambulatory pH monitoring showed that 15 PL patients and 2 controls exhibited pharyngeal acid reflux. Barium esophagram documented gastroesophageal reflux in 5 PL patients. However, none of these barium reflux events reached the pharynx. All PL patients with barium esophagram evidence of gastroesophageal reflux also showed pharyngeal acid reflux by pH monitoring.


CONCLUSIONS
Pharyngeal acid reflux is more prevalent in patients with PL than in healthy controls. Patients with PL infrequently have esophageal sequelae of reflux disease. Ambulatory 24-hour simultaneous 3-site pharyngoesophageal pH monitoring detects gastroesophagopharyngeal acid reflux events in most patients with PL.
Ulualp
S O
SO
Department of Medicine (Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology), Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, USA.
Toohill
R J
RJ
Hoffmann
R
R
Shaker
R
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001466:Barium Sulfate; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016145:Endoscopy, Digestive System; D005260:Female; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007827:Laryngitis / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018670:Monitoring, Ambulatory / Q000379:methods*; D010614:Pharynx; D015995:Prevalence; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
D001466:Barium Sulfate