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^99mTc-Sulfur Colloid Gastroesophageal Scintigraphy with Late Lung Imaging to Evaluate Patients with Posterior Laryngitis

Departments of Nuclear Medicine and Otorhinolaryngology, San Paolo Hospital, University of Milan, Milan, Italy

The aim of this study was to use gastroesophageal and pulmonary scintigraphy to evaluate the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux and airway involvement among patients with posterior laryngitis. Methods: The study included a total of 201 patients (131 females, 70 males; age range, 15–77 y; mean age ± SD, 49 ± 16 y). All patients had posterior laryngitis documented by laryngoscopy and symptoms such as a dry cough, painful swallowing, and hoarseness. A control population of 20 healthy volunteers (13 females, 7 males; age range, 19–74 y; mean age, 53 ± 13 y) was also evaluated. After a 12-h fast, all subjects underwent gastroesophageal scintigraphy through administration of 300 mL orange juice labeled with 185 MBq ^99mTc-sulfur colloid. After 18 h, planar anteroposterior thoracic images were acquired with the subjects supine. Results: Sixty-seven percent of patients (134/201) had scans positive for gastroesophageal reflux; of these, 30 (22%) had distal reflux and 104 (78%) had proximal reflux. In addition, the scans of 31 patients were positive for proximal reflux–associated pulmonary uptake. The frequency, duration, and degree of reflux episodes were significantly greater in patients with proximal reflux than in patients with distal reflux (P < 0.001). The 67 patients in whom reflux was not detected had diseases or reflux-associated cofactors that could account for laryngeal symptoms. No statistically significant difference in symptoms or esophageal motility parameters could be identified among the patient groups, but patients with proximal reflux had significantly prolonged gastric emptying times compared with healthy volunteers. Conclusion: Most patients with posterior laryngitis had detectable proximal gastroesophageal reflux. Exposure of the proximal part of the esophagus to acid, by setting the stage for microaspiration of gastric material into the larynx, remains a major cause of damage to the laryngeal mucosa. Slowed gastric emptying may be a predisposing factor. Moreover, symptoms such as a dry cough, painful swallowing, or hoarseness may not be reliable predictors of the presence of gastroesophageal reflux or of associated airway involvement.

Key Words: gastroesophageal reflux • laryngitis • gastroesophageal scintigraphy • microaspiration

Received Oct. 19, 1999; revision accepted Feb. 16, 2000.

For correspondence or reprints contact: Alberto Bestetti, MD, Servizio di Medicina Nucleare, Ospedale S. Paolo, Via Di Rudinì 8, 20142 Milano, Italy.

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