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[Diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux: ultrasonographic method]
M Lucio-Villegas Menéndez1, F Argüelles Martín, C Coronel Rodríguez
1Departamento de Pediatría, Hospital Universitario Virgen Macarena, Sevilla.
Insights
Abdominal echography can aid in diagnosing gastro-esophageal reflux (GER) in infants. This non-invasive imaging technique shows promise as a complementary tool alongside other diagnostic methods for GER.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Diagnostic Imaging
Background:
- Gastro-esophageal reflux (GER) is a common condition in infants.
- Accurate diagnosis of GER is crucial for appropriate management and to prevent complications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the diagnostic utility of abdominal echography in pediatric patients suspected of having GER.
- To assess the sensitivity, specificity, and safety factor of echography for GER detection.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 63 infants (age 1 month to 7.5 years) with suspected GER underwent barium studies, esophageal scintigraphy, and abdominal echography.
- Diagnostic criteria were established to define true positive, false positive, true negative, and false negative results based on echography and other tests.
- Echography was performed using established techniques.
Main Results:
- Abdominal echography demonstrated a sensitivity of 68% and a specificity of 84.61% for detecting GER.
- The overall safety factor for echography in this study was 71.2%.
Conclusions:
- Abdominal echography is a valuable complementary diagnostic tool for evaluating GER in infants.
- Its non-invasive nature, equipment availability, and potential for prolonged, recordable examinations support its use.
Abstract:
In this study, 63 infants, 38 males and 25 females, with pathology that suggested gastro-esophageal reflux, were studied. These patients were between one month and 7-1/2 years of age, with a mean age of 29 months and a standard deviation of 28.1 months. All patients underwent a barium study of the esophagus and the stomach, evaluated according to the criteria of Cleveland, an esophageal scintigram to detect GER, performed according to the criteria of Fernández and Argüelles, and an abdominal echography according to the technique of Naik and Moore. The test was considered a true positive if the echography was positive along with one other positive examination. A false positive was considered if only the echography were positive. A true negative was when the echography was negative along with another negative test. A false negative was when the echography was negative and some other test was positive. The following results were obtained for the echography: a sensitivity of 68%, a specificity of 84.61% and a safety factor of 71.2%. We conclude that echography can be considered as a complimentary examination for the study of GER, given it harmless nature, the availability of the equipment and the possibility of prolonging the exploration which can be recorded on videotape.