Background: The relationship between Secretory Otitis Media (SOM) and Laryngopharygeal Reflux (LPR) hasn't been well investigated in adult.
Purpose: To study the involvement of LPR- in adult SOM.
Methods: We analyzed 60 adult SOM patients who were admitted to Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, China from January 2022 to October 2022. First, we instructed the patients to fill Reflux Symptom Index (RSI) form and Reflux Finding Score (RFS). Second, Dx-ph monitor was used to monitor patients' oropharyngeal PH for 24 h. Finally, we obtained Ryan index based on the characteristics of reflux events in different body postures. In addition, all patients were evaluated by the Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Questionnaire-7 (ETDQ-7).
Results: The positive rate of RSI and/or RFS scale was 73.33% (44/60) in 60 SOM patients. The positive rate of Ryan index was 76.67% (46/60), and the index was the highest in upright position in 60 SOM patients. The positive rate of ETDQ-7 was 100% (46/46) in 46 SOM patients with LPR.
Conclusion: LPR may be involved in SOM in adults by impairing the function of the eustachian tube.
Keywords: Secretory otitis media; eustachian tube dysfunction questionnaire-7; laryngopharygeal reflux; reflux finding score; reflux symptom index; ryan score.