Re: Oelschlager BK, Yamamoto K, Woltman T, Pellegrini C. Vagotomy During Hiatal Hernia Repair: a Benign Esophageal Lengthening Procedure. J Gastrointest Surg. 2008;12(7):1155–62.

Normal Values for Pharyngeal pH Monitoring

“…Prior studies have shown that the presence of GERD symptoms and esophageal pH monitoring alone are insufficient for diagnosing EER. Oelschlager et al 10 found that patients with abnormal esophageal acid exposure were 3 times more likely to have pharyngeal reflux than were those with normal values. However, 51% of patients without pharyngeal reflux had abnormal distal esophageal levels, and 24% of patients with "abnormal" pharyngeal reflux had normal esophageal acid exposure levels.…”

“…However, 51% of patients without pharyngeal reflux had abnormal distal esophageal levels, and 24% of patients with "abnormal" pharyngeal reflux had normal esophageal acid exposure levels. 10 Utilizing a 3-probe system (pharynx, proximal esophagus, and distal esophagus), Kuhn et al 11 found that when patients with vocal nodules were compared to a control group, there was no difference in esophageal acid measurements, but there was a significantly greater degree of pharyngeal acid exposure and more events in those with vocal nodules.…”