Failure of initial 24-hour esophageal pH monitoring to predict refractoriness and intractability in reflux esophagitis.

Prolonged esophageal pH monitoring is considered to be the most sensitive and specific test for the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). However, the role of pH monitoring in predicting the clinical and endoscopic response of reflux esophagitis is not well defined. In this study, 106 patients with moderate to severe symptoms of GERD and esophagitis (grades 0-IV) by endoscopy were initially studied by ambulatory esophageal pH monitoring, and their clinical response to standard H2 antagonist therapy was monitored at 8 wk. Refractory patients were defined as those who failed to heal and/or had intractable reflux symptoms after 8 wk of H2 antagonist therapy, and who required continuous therapy with higher doses of H2 antagonists, addition of prokinetic agents, or omeprazole. There was a positive correlation (r = 0.89) between endoscopic severity of esophagitis upon entry into the study and refractoriness to standard medical therapy. However, there were no differences in the various pH parameters analyzed between the 58 patients who responded and the 48 patients who were refractory to medical therapy, regardless of the endoscopic grading of their esophagitis. We conclude that 24-h ambulatory esophageal pH monitoring does not predict refractoriness of reflux esophagitis to standard therapy. The decision for more aggressive methods of treatment probably requires assessment of symptomatic and endoscopic response after 8 week standard H2 antagonist therapy.