Korean J Neurogastroenterol Motil.  2007 Jun;13(1):8-14.

Can Laryngopharyngeal Reflux be Estimated according to the Laryngopharyngeal Symptoms and Laryngoscopic Findings?

• Moon W
• Park MI
• Kim GM
• Kim KJ
• Park SJ
• Mun HS
• Lee KD
• Kim YJ
• Lim DK
• Roh JH

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The pathophysiology of laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) is not completely understood yet, especially in Asian people. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between reflux severity and laryngeal symptoms and signs in Koreans.
METHODS
Non-smoking patients with laryngeal symptoms, who completed reflux symptom index (RSI) questionnaire, laryngoscopic reflux finding score (RFS), esophagoscopy, esophageal manometry and 24-hour pharyngeal pH testing were evaluated retrospectively.
RESULTS
Fifty-two patients were enrolled. Twenty-five patients had one or more reflux episodes and were classified as a reflux group (RG) and the remaining twenty-seven as a non-reflux group (NRG). The most predominant symptom was voice problem and predominant sign was posterior commissure hypertrophy in both groups. There was no difference in total scores of RSI (11 vs. 14) and RFS (4.8 vs. 4.9), the rate of reflux esophagitis, the basal pressures of upper and lower esophageal sphincters (PUES and PLES) and the rate of normal peristalsis between RG and NRG. In the RG, the mean number and the %time of pharyngeal acid reflux were 9.0 and 1.2% and none of symptoms and signs were correlated with reflux severity but the reflux number were correlated inversely with PLES.
CONCLUSIONS
Laryngeal symptoms and laryngoscopic findings did not seem to predict LPR in Korean patients.

Keyword

Laryngopharynges; Reflux; Reflux esophagitis; Manometry

MeSH Terms

Asian Continental Ancestry Group
Esophagitis, Peptic
Esophagoscopy
Humans
Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
Hypertrophy
Hypopharynx
Laryngopharyngeal Reflux*
Manometry
Peristalsis
Retrospective Studies
Voice
Surveys and Questionnaires