Reducing the Duration of 24-Hour Multichannel Intraluminal Impedance-pH Monitoring for Laryngopharyngeal Reflux

To investigate whether reducing the 24-hour hypopharyngeal-esophageal multichannel intraluminal impedance-pH (HEMII-pH) monitoring duration can maintain effective diagnostic sensitivity for laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR).

Retrospective diagnostic accuracy study.

Academic center outpatient clinic.

Data from 140 patients diagnosed with LPR using 24-hour HEMII-pH monitoring were reviewed. Sensitivity was assessed based on different monitoring durations and time-of-day segments. The diagnostic sensitivity of shorter durations was compared to the full 24-hour monitoring, and optimal time periods were identified.

Even with just 6 hours of monitoring, a sensitivity of 81.4% was achieved, and extending it to 10 hours further increased sensitivity to 90%. When considering both monitoring duration and start time, the shortest periods achieving ≥80% sensitivity were 2:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., and 4:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. For ≥90% sensitivity, the optimal monitoring periods were 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Reducing the duration of HEMII-pH monitoring can maintain high diagnostic sensitivity for LPR, offering a more patient-friendly alternative to the 24-hour monitoring. These findings demonstrate that shorter monitoring durations can enhance patient comfort and compliance without compromising diagnostic accuracy.