title: Prognostic values of multichannel intraluminal impedance and pH monitoring in newborns with symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the relationship between multichannel intraluminal impedance and pH monitoring (MII/pH) values in newborns with symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and clinical history in their first 3 years of life.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-four newborns with GERD symptoms who underwent MII/pH in the first weeks of life were enrolled into a clinical follow-up program. Follow-up visits were programmed at 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, and 36 months. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to duration of symptoms: short (1-3 months), medium (4-9 months), and long (>9 months), and MII/pH values in these groups were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty-three patients completed the 3-year follow-up. The number of patients with GERD symptoms decreased each month. A comparison of MII/pH values of the 3 lifetime symptom groups revealed differences in the impedance bolus exposure index (F = 83; P = .012) and proximal reflux frequency (F = 410; P = .022). These 2 MII variables showed an increasing trend from the short lifetime symptom group to the long lifetime symptom group. Weakly acidic reflux events, but not acidic events, were responsible for these differences.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MII/pH in newborns has prognostic value regarding the duration of GERD symptoms and provides useful information that clinicians may give parents about the prognosis of symptomatic infants. Impedance bolus exposure index and proximal reflux frequency seem to be the variables with the highest predictive value. Weakly acidic reflux events play an important role in determining the duration of GERD symptoms in newborns.
authors.affiliation: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, S. Anna-Regina Margherita Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, University of Turin, Turin, Italy. francesco.cresi@unito.it
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cresi
authors.forename: Emanuela
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Locatelli
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Marinaccio
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Grasso
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Coscia
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bertino
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D017097:Electric Impedance; D050782:Esophageal pH Monitoring; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005745:Gastric Acidity Determination; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D015997:Neonatal Screening / Q000379:methods*; D011379:Prognosis; D013997:Time Factors