Evaluation of laryngopharyngeal reflux in patients with suspected laryngopharyngeal reflux, chronic otitis media and laryngeal disorders

We investigated the prevalence of laryngopharyngeal reflux in patients with signs and symptoms of reflux, chronic otitis media and benign and malignant vocal cord lesions. Three groups of patients in Ankara Ataturk Education and Research Hospital ENT–Head and Neck Surgery Clinics were compared between 2005 and 2006. The first group had patients with signs and symptoms of reflux, the second group consisted of patients with chronic otitis media, and in the third group had patients with laryngeal pathology, i.e. vocal cord lesions. The results of pH monitoring of all the three groups of patients were analyzed for laryngopharyngeal reflux. In the evaluation, two different criteria, based on reflux number and time spent in reflux, were used. It was investigated whether there was a difference in terms of reflux among these three groups. Also, the effects of reflux in etiopathogenesis of chronic otitis media and vocal cord lesions are discussed. A total of 84 patients were studied, with 22 patients with signs and symptoms of reflux in Group 1, 42 patients with chronic otitis media in Group 2, and 20 patients with vocal cord lesions in Group 3. No statistical difference could be detected among the groups in terms of the two criteria mentioned above. The frequency of laryngopharyngeal reflux in patients with chronic otitis media and vocal cord lesions was found to be as high as than in the patients with signs and symptoms of reflux. During the treatment of chronic otitis media and laryngeal disorders, we advise reflux work-up, and in case if there is reflux, we recommend reflux treatment in addition to treatment of primary disease.