Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 6, 2026

Simultaneous Laryngopharyngeal and Conventional Esophageal pH Monitoring
Published on: December 14, 2020
Proximal pharyngeal reflux correlates with increasing severity of lingual tonsil hypertrophy
John M DelGaudio1, Iman Naseri, Justin C Wise
1Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA. jdelgaudio@emroyhealthcare.org
Objective:
To determine if degree of lingual tonsil hypertrophy (LTH) correlates with pharyngeal reflux.
Design:
Prospective.
Methods:
Patients with flexible laryngoscopic evidence of LTH were included. Degree of LTH was graded mild, moderate, or severe by two otolaryngologists blinded to pH study results. Three-sensor pH study results were correlated to LTH grade.
Results:
Nineteen patients were included (five with mild LTH, eight with moderate LTH, and six with severe LTH). Nasopharyngeal reflux (NPR) events
Conclusions:
Our study shows a continuum of increasing pharyngeal reflux with higher LTH severity. Severe LTH may be a reliable physical sign of pharyngeal reflux, especially NPR.
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