Extraesophageal reflux in patients with contact granuloma: a prospective controlled study.

The aim of this study was to compare the incidences of extraesophageal reflux in patients with contact granuloma and healthy controls. A 24-hour ambulatory pH monitoring technique was used to measure reflux parameters in the pharynx and distal esophagus. Pharyngeal acid reflux events occurred in 17 of 26 granuloma patients (1 to 20 episodes per patient) and 5 of 19 controls (1 to 8 episodes per subject). The reflux episodes were typically short and occurred predominantly in an upright position. A comparison between the groups showed a significant difference in the number of pharyngeal reflux episodes (p = .009) and in the total time of pH below 4 (p = .006). On the other hand, we found no significant differences in any esophageal reflux parameters, except for the percentage of distal esophageal reflux episodes that reached the pharynx (p = .006). In this study, pharyngeal acid exposure was significantly more prevalent in patients with contact granuloma than in healthy controls.