High Diagnostic Yield of Abnormal Endoscopic Findings in the Evaluation of Laryngopharyngeal Reflux

Abstract

Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) is recommended in patients with typical gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms (heartburn, regurgitation, chest pain) in the setting of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) nonresponse. EGD evaluates for erosive disease, assesses antireflux barrier integrity, excludes non-GERD conditions, and, in the absence of erosive findings, is followed by reflux testing.^1,2 The diagnostic utility of EGD is less clear in the evaluation for laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR), and the current reference standard is ambulatory reflux monitoring.^1,3,4 This study of patients referred for evaluation of chronic laryngeal symptoms had the following aims: (1) to characterize endoscopic findings, (2) to discern whether findings differed between patients with or without concomitant esophageal reflux symptoms, and (3) to measure the association between endoscopic findings and objective GERD on ambulatory reflux monitoring.