Personalized diagnosis of patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease using 24-hour pH-impedance testing and high-resolution esophageal manometry

Abstract

Aim. To determine the phenotypic variants of patients with symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), non-erosive reflux disease (NERD), hypersensitive esophagus (HSE), functional heartburn (FH) using 24-hour pH-impedance testing and high-resolution esophageal manometry (HSEM). Materials and methods. Fifty-five treatment-native symptomatic patients with newly diagnosed GERD and 48 control group subjects (CG) were examined. The mean age of the subjects was 45.0 years (95% confidence interval [CI] 41.0–48.9). Patients were grouped based on typical symptoms (heartburn, belching, regurgitation, odynophagy, dysphagia), medical history, endoscopy results, and 24-hour pH-impedance testing. Patients with typical symptoms of GERD and Grade B, C, D erosive esophagitis (EE) according to the Los Angeles Classification (LA) based on endoscopy were excluded from the further study. All patients without changes in the esophageal mucosa on endoscopy or with LA grade A EE (presumably NERD) underwent 24-hour pH-impedance testing and HSEM without proton pump inhibitors. Acid exposure, acid reflux count, symptom association with reflux (with symptom index and symptom association with reflux), mean nocturnal impedance, and post-reflux swallow-induced peristaltic wave index were assessed. The structure (presence or absence of a hiatal hernia) and function (presence or absence of the lower esophageal sphincter hypotonia) of the esophagogastric junction, as well as the motor function of the thoracic esophagus, were assessed using HSEM. The results of the HSEM were interpreted according to the Chicago Classification, 3rd edition (2015). Results. The number of acid refluxes in patients with NERD was 71.0 (95% CI 58.4–83.7), in subjects with HSE – 38.5 (95% CI 28.3–49.0), with FH – 13.0 (95% CI 6.5–18.2), in CG – 16.5 (95% CI 9.0–21.0). The average nocturnal basal impedance was 1300 ohms (95% CI 1000–1986) in patients with NERD, 1725 ohms (95% CI 1338–2261) in patients with HSE, 2760 ohms (95% CI 2453–3499) in FH, 2515 ohms (95% CI 2283–2700) in CG. The index of post-reflux swallow-induced peristaltic wave in patients with NERD was 61% (95% CI 57–71), with HSE – 85% (95% CI 82–88), with FH – 71% (95% CI 64–78), in CG – 66% (95% CI 63–69). Hiatal hernia and/or hypotonia of the LES were more common in patients with NERD (23%) than in CG (13.3%). Ineffective motility was detected in 34% of patients with NERD, in 23% of subject with FH and in 66.7% of patients with HSE. Conclusion. The results support the hypothesis that patients with GERD symptoms represent a heterogeneous population. 24-hour pH-impedance testing and HSEM helps to differentiate endoscopically negative patients with GERD symptoms and patients with Grade A EE by LA to NERD, HSE and FH.