Pharyngolaryngeal reflux in patients who underwent cervical esophago-gastrostomy following esophagectomy.

Pharyngolaryngeal reflux has been generally accepted as a cause for pharyngolaryngitis, hoarseness, aspiration pneumonia, chronic cough, and nocturnal asthma. Although patients who have undergone gastric conduit reconstruction after esophagectomy are at a high risk to pharyngolaryngeal reflux disease (PLRD), PLRD after esophagectomy is still unknown. The aim of this study is to investigate the correlation between reflux pharyngolaryngitis and acid reflux into the hypopharynx and into the cervical esophagus in patients who have undergone cervical esophagogastrostomy. We enrolled 62 patients who received follow-up endoscopy and 24-h pH monitoring after cervical esophagogastrostomy. These included 26 at 1 month after surgery and 36 at 1 year or more after surgery. We investigated: (i) the correlation between the extent of reflux pharyngolaryngitis and that of reflux esophagitis based on endoscopic findings; and (ii) the correlation between the extent of reflux pharyngolaryngitis and that of acid exposure -'% time pH < 4' measured by 24-h pH monitoring - in the hypopharynx and in the cervical esophagus, and of acidity in the gastric conduit. There was no difference in acid exposure between the hypopharynx and the cervical esophagus according to time after surgery. However, the acidity in the gastric conduit was significantly more at one year or more after surgery compared with acidity at 1 month after surgery (P= 0.001). There was a significant correlation between acid exposure in the hypopharynx and that in the cervical esophagus (P < 0.001), although acid exposure in the hypopharynx was significantly less than that in the cervical esophagus (P < 0.001). A significant correlation between reflux pharyngolaryngitis and reflux esophagitis was observed (P < 0.001). There was a significant correlation between reflux pharyngolaryngitis and acid exposure in the hypopharynx (P= 0.021), and also that in the proximal esophagus (P= 0.001). The correlation between the extent of reflux pharyngolaryngitis and the acidity in the gastric conduit was not observed. These findings are consistent with pharyngolaryngitis being caused by gastro-esophago-pharyngolaryngeal reflux in patients after cervical esophagogastrostomy, despite the upper esophageal sphincter strongly preventing acid reflux from the cervical esophagus into the hypopharynx.