Extraesophageal reflux in patients with contact granuloma: A prospective controlled study (vol 111, pg 178, 2002)

The aim of this study was to compare the incidences of extraesophageal reflux in patients with contact granuloma and healthy controls. A 24-hour ambulatory pH monitoring technique was used to measure reflux parameters in the pharynx and distal esophagus. Pharyngeal acid reflux events occur-red in 17 of 26 granuloma patients (1 to 20 episodes per patient) and 5 of 19 controls (1 to 8 episodes per subject). The reflux episodes were typically short and occurred predominantly in an upright position. A comparison between the groups showed a significant difference in the number of pharyngeal reflux episodes (p=.009) and in the total time of pH below 4 (p=.006). On the other hand, we found no significant differences in any esophageal reflux parameters, except for the percentage of distal esophageal reflux episodes that reached the pharynx (p=.006). In this study, pharyngeal acid exposure was significantly more prevalent in patients with contact granuloma than in healthy controls.