Association of esophageal reflux and globus symptom: Comparison of laryngoscopy and 24-hour pH manometry

Thirty-one patients with globus sensation were examined by dual probe pH manometry and videolaryngoscopy to investigate the role of gastroesophageal reflux disease in association with globus. Abnormal laryngeal findings, which included grossly abnormal and subtle changes, were seen in 17 patients. These findings included pharyngeal erythema (12 patients), interarytenoid pachydermia (11), laryngeal edema (11), arytenoid erythema (9), and thick mucus (3). Twenty-one of the 31 pH probe studies showed gastroesophageal reflux disease (14 grossly abnormal, 6 borderline abnormal) with Johnson and DeMeester composite scores for the distal probe. There was no correlation between the upright and supine position, nor was there correlation between positive laryngeal findings and a positive pH probe study. We conclude that globus sensation is often a nonspecific symptom of laryngopharyngeal irritation in which gastroesophageal reflux disease plays a significant role. Combining careful laryngoscopic examination with pH probe studies can help to differentiate between patients with organic pathology caused by gastroesophageal reflux disease and patients with other nonspecific laryngopharyngeal disorders. (Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 1996;115:502-7.)