Gastroesophageal Reflux and Wheezing in Pediatry pH-metry studies

Abstract

Analysis of esophageal pH is useful and recommended by specialists when the gastroesophageal reflux disease does not show specific symptoms such as chest pain or burnings, but a form of asthma and chronic cough. The investigation is performed after a mild anesthesia, inserting a thin and flexible catheter in the patient�s nostril; it reaches the esophagus, particularly the esophageal sphincter that connects the stomach to the esophagus. The catheter has a sensor that monitors the acidity level, the number of reflux episodes, their duration and the part of the esophagus reached by the acid in the stomach. Gastroesophageal reflux disease is frequently met in pediatric practice, rooting in the intrauterine life, a physiologic phenomenon in infants during the first semester of life.