12-HOUR SIMULTANEOUS REGISTRATION OF ACID REFLUX AND PERISTALTIC ACTIVITY IN THE ESOPHAGUS - STUDY IN NORMAL SUBJECTS

Twelve-hour simultaneous registration of acid gastro-oesophageal reflux and peristaltic activity in the oesophagus was carried out on 30 healthy subjects. The intensity of the acid gastro-oesophageal reflux was determined by automatic integration of the pH variation. Acid gastro-oesophageal reflux to pH ≤ 4 occurs in normal subjects within a range of 0-2.4% of the total registration period. The intravariation was measured in 10 investigations on 1 subject, and lay within the intervariation. To maintain the pressure-measuring system intact. 3 ml H20/h were fed to the proximal and distal pressure catheters, respectively; It has been shown that this small quantity of water has no influence on the pH variation. Peristaltic activity for the entire measuring period was recorded and related to the individual reflux episodes. The total activity was found to be dependent on the level of consciousness, with little activity occurring during sleep. A positive correlation was found between the lowest pH during a reflux episode and the peristaltic activity in the oesophagus (p < 0.001), between the lowest pH during a reflux episode and the duration of the reflux episode (p < 0.001), and between the peristaltic activity and the duration of the reflux episode (p < 0.001). During long-term registration of oesophageal pH it appears that pH ≤ 4 is a usable parameter for distinguishing between pathological and non-pathological acid gastro-oesophageal reflux. Sudden falls in pH to below 4 release increased peristalsis in the oesophagus. © 1979 Informa UK Ltd.