[Gastroesophageal reflux and laryngopharyngeal disorders: pH-metric essay of the acid exposure of the proximal and distal esophagus].
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study is to verify the role of gastroesophageal reflux as responsible for otolaryngological symptoms; it is often difficult to identify, both because of its subtle and aspecific clinical-endoscopic picture and because the traditional distal esophageal pHmetry may show readings which are still within the norm at this level. The esophageal pHmetry carried out at proximal level gives greater diagnostic accuracy.


METHODS
We use a catheter with 3 antimony electrodes, 2 of them placed at the esophageal level, respectively at 5 and 20 cm above the inferior esophageal sphincter, and 1 in the stomach. We studied 3 groups of patients: 41 asymptomatic no-refluxer patients (group I, control), 59 refluxer patients with only typical esophageal symptoms (group II) and 68 patients with laryngo-pharyngeal symptoms suffering from acid reflux (group III).


RESULTS
At both the proximal and distal esophageal levels, the reflux, with reference to control, turned out to be significantly higher in groups II and III, both as regards the number of episodes (p<0.01), the time of acid exposition (p<0.01), the length of the longer reflux (p<0.01), whereas no differences were found between groups II and III. The proximal esophageal acid refluxes in both groups II and III occurred mainly in the upright position: alone (57.2% and 62.5% respectively) or combined with supine position (23.8% and 34.0% respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
Our experience suggests that the esophago-gastric pHmetry with 3 electrodes represents an effective procedure for the correlation between otolaryngological symptoms and gastro-esophageal reflux.
Longhini
A
A
Divisione di Chirurgia Generale, Ospedale Civile di Sondrio, ASL 9, Sondrio, Italy. long.alex@tiscalinet.it
Franzini
M
M
Kazemian
A R
AR
Munarini
G
G
Marcolli
G
G
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000965:Antimony; D004566:Electrodes; D004947:Esophagus / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005745:Gastric Acidity Determination; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007818:Laryngeal Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010608:Pharyngeal Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D010612:Pharyngitis / Q000209:etiology; D014832:Voice Disorders / Q000209:etiology
D000965:Antimony