Spanish multidisciplinary Consensus on the diagnosis and management of laryngopharyngeal reflux (ReFaL Consensus)

Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) represents a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge due to the nonspecific nature of its clinical manifestations and the absence of objective biomarkers. The aim of this work is to establish a national consensus on its definition, diagnosis, and treatment through a modified Delphi methodology that integrates the perspectives of otolaryngologists (ENT) and gastroenterologists (GI).

A scientific committee composed of three ENTs and two GIs developed 117 items distributed across seven thematic sections. The Delphi process involved 73 panellists in the first round, of whom 65 (89%) completed both rounds of voting. Participants were representative of the Spanish autonomous communities, with an average of 17 years of clinical experience and a multidisciplinary profile (63.1% ENT; 36.9% GI).

After two rounds of voting, positive consensus was reached on 76 items (64.9%), distributed as follows: 14 on definition and pathophysiology; 12 on symptoms and pharyngeal findings; 2 on associations with other ENT diseases; 10 on diagnostic methods; 3 on validated questionnaires; 15 on treatment and recommendations; and 11 on clinical follow-up.

The results of the consensus reflect the suitability and effectiveness of the Delphi methodology used to create a consensus document on the definition, presentation, diagnosis, and management of a condition that until now has been poorly defined, such as LPR. The aim is to support specialists in their daily clinical practice, and unlike previous efforts, it has succeeded in unifying within a single document the criteria of the two specialties most involved in managing these patients.