[Esophageal pH-monitoring in asymptomatic and symptomatic newborn infants].

The supine distal esophageal pH was recorded over 24 hours, in low birth weight infants. Forty-seven of them were asymptomatic (group T) and 93 presented with digestive symptoms (regurgitations and/or vomiting) associated (group DA; n = 49) or not (group D; n = 44) with a history of apneas, bradycardias, cyanosis or pallor fits. On the recording day, post-natal ages (weeks), conceptional ages (weeks) and weights (g) were not different among the 3 groups (T: 4.8 +/- 2.6; 40.1 +/- 2; 2,590 +/- 210. DA: 4.7 +/- 3.3; 40 +/- 3.3; 2,980 +/- 640. D: 4.7 +/- 2.8; 41.1 +/- 3.3; 2,710 +/- 620). In the 3 groups all the features of the acid and highly acid gastroesophageal refluxes (GER) were significantly more marked in late post-prandial stages (LPPS) than in early post-prandial stages (EPPS) (p less than 0.001). Slightly acid GER were more frequent in LPPS than in EPPS for groups T and DA (p less than 0.01). No significant difference could be found when comparing group T with groups D, DA and with a sample of 21 infants presenting with vomiting.