[24-hour esophageal pH monitoring for suspected esophageal originated chest pain].

Thirty patients with suspected esophageal originated chest pain were studied by 24 h esophageal pH monitoring. All of them complained of chest pain, heart burn, acid reflux or dysphagia. The result showed abnormal pH in 26 patients (86.7%). Sixteen of them had pH abnormalities in both day and night, whereas 8 had only abnormal day pH, and 2 pH out of the normal limits at night. Chest pain episode was correlated with the abnormalities in 18 cases (60%). Four patients with coronary heart disease showed simultaneous gastro-esophageal reflux originated chest pain; the positive correlation was obtained. Their diagnosis of cardiac chest pain was doubtful. We suggested that 24h pH monitoring was a significant method to determine the cause of chest pain.