24-hour esophageal pH metry
24 hour esophageal pH metry is a test which measures ph ( acidity or alkalinity ) of stomach and lower esophagus .
When should one undergo 24-hour esophageal pH metry?
Acidity or reflux is a very common health problem with high prevalence in general
population. Many a times patients do not get good response to prescribed medicine or the
problem restarts after stopping medicine.
It is important to do pH metry and symptom correlation for anyone who has GERD and
wants to undergo surgery or endoscopic fundoplication for the acidity.
Is 24-hour esophageal Ph metry mandatory before surgery for acidity?
As per guidelines, all patients undergoing fundoplication surgery should undergo both
esophageal manometry and 24-hour esophageal pH metry.
This will give a correlation of patient’s symptoms with acid reflux, will document acid reflux
and prevent functional symptoms in patients undergoing surgery.
How is PH measurement helpful for atypical symptoms?
Many times patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease come with atypical symptoms
like recurrent pharyngitis, cough, repeated exacerbations of asthma.
Ph metry can document the association of such symptoms with acid or non-acid reflux.
Treatment of GERD subsequently can reduce presenting symptoms
What is the preparation required for 24 hr pH metry?
A patient needs to stop Proton pump inhibitors for 7 days before the procedure,
antihistaminic should be stopped for 3 days before the procedure. Sometimes a doctor may
do procedure with ongoing acidity medicine
How is the procedure done?
Ph metry machine consists of recorder and a pH catheter. PH catheter is 2 to 3mm in
diameter and it is passed through one of the nostrils. The catheter is then fixed and kept for
24 hrs at a fixed distance.
During the procedure, the patient can be admitted or sent home. The patient is generally given information regarding symptom and eating and sleep button on the recorder. Patient is allowed to do normal daily routine to ensure similarity with real-life scenario.
