An oropharyngeal pH monitoring device to evaluate patients with chronic laryngitis

• Published in: Neurogastroenterology and motility 2013-05, Vol.25 (5), p.e315-e323
• Main Authors: Yuksel, E. S., Slaughter, J. C., Mukhtar, N., Ochieng, M., Sun, G., Goutte, M., Muddana, S., Gaelyn Garrett, C., Vaezi, M. F.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Catheters; diagnosis; esophageal acid exposure; Esophageal pH Monitoring - instrumentation; Female; Gastroesophageal Reflux - complications; Gastroesophageal Reflux - diagnosis; heartburn; Humans; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Laryngitis - etiology; Male; Middle Aged; Oropharynx - chemistry; Reproducibility of Results; Restech; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1350-1925; 1365-2982
• DOI: 10.1111/nmo.12109

Background Diagnostics for gastro‐esophageal reflux disease (GERD) are suboptimal because of limited sensitivity. We performed in vitro and in vivo studies to systematically assess the performance characteristics of an oropharyngeal pH probe. Methods In vitro studies compared the oropharyngeal probe with a standard pH catheter in liquid and aerosolized solutions, pH 1–7. The accuracy of measurements, deviation from target pH, and time to equilibrium pH were determined. Simultaneous distal esophageal pH measurements were obtained in 11 patients with GERD. Oropharyngeal and distal esophageal reflux parameters were measured for controls (n = 20), patients with GERD (n = 17), and patients with chronic laryngitis (n = 10). Key Results In the liquid phase, at pH 4–5, the oropharyngeal probe had less deviation from the target value than the standard catheter; deviation in the vapor phase was similar (0.4 pH units). Median (interquartile) time to reach equilibrium pH was significantly (P