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Simultaneous Laryngopharyngeal and Conventional Esophageal pH Monitoring
06:46

Simultaneous Laryngopharyngeal and Conventional Esophageal pH Monitoring

Published on: December 14, 2020

Esophageal impedance in children: symptom-based results

Silvia Salvatore1, Serena Arrigo, Carlo Luini

  • 1Clinica Pediatrica, Università dell'Insubria, Varese, Italy.

The Journal of Pediatrics
|September 11, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Multiple intraluminal esophageal impedance with pH-monitoring improves reflux symptom correlation. Young infants show stronger symptom association with weakly acid reflux than with acid reflux.

Area of Science:

  • Gastroenterology
  • Pediatric Medicine
  • Diagnostic Technology

Background:

  • Accurate correlation of gastrointestinal symptoms with reflux events is crucial for diagnosis and management in infants and children.
  • Traditional pH monitoring alone has limitations in detecting all types of reflux and their association with symptoms.
  • Multiple intraluminal esophageal impedance with pH-monitoring (MII-pH) offers a more comprehensive approach to assess esophageal challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the correlation between symptoms and reflux events using MII-pH monitoring.
  • To compare the diagnostic yield of MII-pH monitoring versus pH monitoring alone for reflux-symptom association.
  • To investigate age-specific differences in reflux-symptom associations, particularly in infants.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective analysis of MII-pH tracings and concurrent symptom reporting in pediatric patients.
  • Defined reflux-symptom association based on a 2-minute temporal window.
  • Analyzed data stratified by age groups (1-6 months, 6-12 months, >12 months) and symptom types (crying, pain, cough, vomiting).

Main Results:

  • MII-pH monitoring identified 52% of symptoms as reflux-associated, including acid reflux (AR) and weakly acid reflux (wAR).
  • Vomiting showed the strongest association with reflux; cough association was higher in infants.
  • Symptom association probability (SAP) was significantly higher with MII-pH compared to pH monitoring alone, especially for weakly AR in young infants.

Conclusions:

  • MII-pH monitoring significantly enhances the detection of reflux-symptom associations compared to pH monitoring alone.
  • In young infants, symptoms are more frequently linked to weakly acid reflux than to purely acid reflux.
  • The findings support the utility of MII-pH in diagnosing reflux-related symptoms in pediatric populations, with specific considerations for age and reflux type.
Abstract

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