Evaluation of Oropharyngeal pH-Monitoring in the Assessment of Laryngopharyngeal Reflux

Lukas Horvath; Patricia Hagmann; Emanuel Burri; Marcel Kraft

doi:10.3390/jcm10112409

Evaluation of Oropharyngeal pH-Monitoring in the Assessment of Laryngopharyngeal Reflux

J Clin Med. 2021 May 29;10(11):2409. doi: 10.3390/jcm10112409.

Authors

Lukas Horvath¹, Patricia Hagmann², Emanuel Burri², Marcel Kraft³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital of Basel, 4031 Basel, Switzerland.
² Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Medical Clinic, Kantonsspital Baselland, 4410 Liestal, Switzerland.
³ HNO-Zentrum beider Basel, 4141 Münchenstein, Switzerland.

Abstract

Background: Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) is a prevalent disorder. The aim of the present retrospective cohort study was to evaluate oropharyngeal pH-monitoring using a novel scoring system for LPR.

Methods: In a total of 180 consecutive patients with possible LPR, reflux symptom index (RSI), reflux finding score (RFS), oropharyngeal pH-monitoring and transnasal esophagoscopy were carried out for further investigation.

Results: In our series, 99 (55%) patients had severe LPR, 29 (16%) cases presented with moderate and 23 (13%) with mild severity, 9 (5%) subjects revealed neutral values, and 7 (4%) individuals were alkaline, while 13 (7%) patients had no LPR. In detecting LPR, the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of oropharyngeal pH-monitoring was 95%, 93% and 94%, respectively.

Conclusion: Oropharyngeal pH-monitoring is a reliable tool in the assessment of LPR, but the pH graphs have to be precisely analyzed and interpreted in context with other validated diagnostic tests.

Keywords: Dx-pH measuring system; extraesophageal reflux; pH testing; pH-metry; reflux disease.