 |
Acid Reflux Symptom & Acid Reflux Diet |
|
Home > Search > Acid Reflux8 Ways to diagnosed and evaluated Acid Reflux - 2
|
That is, it failed to find signs of GERD in many patients who had GERD because the patients had little or no damage to the lining of the esophagus. The x-rays were able to show only the infrequent complications of GERD, for example, ulcers and strictures. X-rays have been abandoned as a means of diagnosing GERD, although they still can be useful in addition to endoscopy in the evaluation of complications.
When GERD affects the throat or larynx and causes symptoms of cough, hoarseness, or sore throat, patients often visit an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist. The ENT specialist frequently finds signs of inflammation of the throat or larynx. Although diseases of the throat or larynx usually are the cause of the inflammation, sometimes GERD can be the cause.
Accordingly, ENT specialists often try acid-suppressing treatment to confirm the diagnosis of GERD. This approach, however, has the same problems that, as discussed above, result from using the response to treatment to confirm GERD.
Esophageal motility testing determines how well the muscles of the esophagus are working. For motility testing, a thin tube (catheter) is passed through a nostril, down the back of the throat, and into the esophagus. On the part of the catheter that is inside the esophagus are sensors that sense pressure. When the muscle of the esophagus contracts, a pressure is generated within the esophagus that is detected by the sensors on the catheter.
The end of the catheter that
protrudes from the nostril is attached to a recorder that records the pressure.
During the test, the pressure at rest and the relaxation of the lower esophageal
sphincter are evaluated. The patient then swallows sips of water to evaluate the
contractions of the esophagus.
Esophageal motility testing has two important uses in evaluating GERD. The first is in evaluating symptoms that do not respond to treatment for GERD. The abnormal function of the esophageal muscle sometimes causes symptoms that resemble the symptoms of GERD. Motility testing can identify these abnormalities and lead to a diagnosis of an esophageal motility disorder.
The second use is evaluation prior to surgical or endoscopic treatment for GERD. In this situation, the purpose is to identify patients who also have motility disorders of the esophageal muscle. The reason for this is that in patients with motility disorders, some surgeons will modify the type of surgery they perform for GERD.
The next page for 8 Right ways to diagnosed the Acid Reflux.
6. Gastric emptying studies ; 7. Acid perfusion test
8. Esophageal acid testing
1. Endoscopy ; 2. Biopsies
 |
 |
|
