A new hyrogen ion telemetry technique for evaluating gastroesophageal reflux

A new pH capsule telemetry technique was used to measure the pH fluxes in the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract in normal volunteers, symptomatic patients and in those with hiatal herniorrhaphy during the preoperative and postoperative period. The Darvon-sized pH capsule is swallowed with ease and with minimal discomfort by a fasting patient. The pH of the surrounding media activates an FM radio transmitter within the capsule to emit a continuous radio signal which is converted by a receiver to a linear graph on a strip chart recorder. This pH capsule telemetry test is easy to perform on an ambulatory basis and allows an accurate and reproducible determination of the presence or absence of esophageal reflux in patients with and without a hiatal hernia. Its correlation with symptomatic reflux is higher than that found with a conventional gastrointestinal series examination. The technique allows a much clearer distinction to be made between those patients with real symptomatic esophagitis secondary to actual reflux and those with other esophageal, cardiac or pulmonary symptoms existing withour reflux. This study also reveals a consistently lower fasting gastric pH in patients with signs and symptoms of reflux than in normal individuals without reflux. The technique enabled a more accurate assessment of the efficacy of hiatal hernia repair and revealed a reduced degree of esophageal reflux in those patients who had undergone successful repair with fundic plication.