title: Laryngopharyngeal Reflux in Children with Chronic Otitis Media with Effusion.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the characteristic properties of laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) and gastroesophageal reflux (GER) in children with otitis media with effusion (OME) using 24-hour multichannel intraluminal impedance combined with dual-probe (pharyngeal and esophageal) pH-metry.
  
  
  METHODS
  Children aged 7-10 years of age with OME underwent 24-hour multichannel intraluminal impedance pH-metry. The upper pH sensor was situated 1 cm above the upper esophageal sphincter, and the lower pH sensor was placed 3-5 cm above the lower esophageal sphincter. Parents were asked to complete the gastroesophageal reflux assessment of symptoms in a pediatrics questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-eight children were enrolled; LPR was detected in 19 (67.9%) children. The criteria of the LPR diagnosis was the presence of at least one supraesophageal episode with a pH < 5.0 and a change in the pH value measured from the initial level at the upper sensor of > 0.2. In total, 64 episodes were observed. Assessment of all LPR episodes showed the presence of 246 episodes in the entire study. A considerable predominance of weakly acidic episodes (87.8%) was noted; there were 6.5% acidic episodes, and weakly alkaline episodes reached 5.7%. Pathological GER was noted in 10 (35.7%) subjects. Acid GER was detected in 8 children, 2 of whom demonstrated non-acidic reflux. In the LPR-negative patients, no pathological GER was confirmed with the exception of a single case of non-acidic reflux.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  LPR was frequently noted in the group of children with OME, and it might be an important risk factor in this common disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Rydygier Memorial Specialistic Hospital, Cracow, Poland.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Górecka-Tuteja
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Collegium Medicum Jagiellonian University, Cracow, Poland.
authors.forename: Izabela
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Jastrzębska
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Collegium Medicum Jagiellonian University, Cracow, Poland.
authors.forename: Jacek
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Składzień
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Collegium Medicum Jagiellonian University, Cracow, Poland.
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fyderek
keywords: Child; Electric impedance; Esophageal pH monitoring; Laryngopharyngeal reflux; Otitis media with effusion