[Dual simultaneous esophageal pH monitoring in infants with gastroesophageal reflux].

The aim of the current study was to analyse selected parameters of pH monitoring in the proximal and distal parts of esophagus. One hundred and twelve infants aged 1.25 to 18 months (mean = 5.6) with symptoms and signs suggesting gastroesophageal reflux (GER) were evaluated. The results are presented of the measurement of reflux index (RI), the number of reflux episodes and the duration of the longest reflux episode in patients classified into the following groups: group I--39 children with vomiting/excessive regurgitation, group II--29 infants with persistent distress/inconsolable crying, group III--16 children with Apparent Life Threatening Events (ALTE), group IV--28 infants with chronic/recurrent respiratory system diseases. No statistically significant difference was noted between the groups in pH parameters at the distal esophageal level, whereas at the proximal level the differences included only the number of reflux episodes. However, we found, that by using the ANOVA test, the incidence was higher in group IV than in group II. As determined by applying Mann-Whitney rank sum test, reflux episodes occurred most frequently in group IV, than in other groups of patients (including controls). None of the reflux parameters recorded at the proximal level among children presenting with ALTE was statistically significantly different than in other groups.