Ambulatory esophageal pH monitoring

The development and advancement of ambulatory esophageal pH monitoring has provided a key tool with which pathologic esophageal acid exposure can be objectively measured; although not perfect, it provides the clinician with arguably the most important piece of information in the diagnosis and management of patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease. It is also important to emphasize that, although esophageal pH monitoring can reliably measure esophageal acid exposure, assessing the relationship of abnormal findings and the patients' symptoms is a much more complex matter and, of course, the key to successful treatment outcomes.