Comparative study of three methods in the diagnosis of laryngopharyngeal reflux in children

Abstract

Objective:To compare the consistency of RSI and RFS, pepsin detection and 24 h Dx-pH monitoring in the diagnosis of laryngopharyngeal reflux （LPR） in children. Method:A retrospective analysis was made of 76 children with suspicious LPR. A total of 65 children with suspicious LPR were finally diagnosed. RSI and RFS scales, pepsin detection and Dx-pH monitoring were performed simultaneously. The diagnostic consistency of the three methods was tested, and the sensitivity and specificity were calculated. Result:The sensitivity of pepsin detection, 24 h Dx-pH monitoring, RSI and RFS in the diagnosis of LPR in 76 suspected LPR patients were 95.31%, 66.15% and 84.62%, and the specificity were 100%, 81.82% and 72.73%. The pepsin detection was well consistent with the scale（Kappa>0.75）, pepsin detection and 24 h Dx-pH monitoring were in medium consistency（Kappa=0.467）, and 24 h Dx-pH monitoring and scale were in medium consistency（Kappa=0.446）. Conclusion:Pepsin detection can be used as a reliable index for the diagnosis of LPR in children. It is objective, economical, non-invasive, comfortable and easy to spread.