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Objectives/hypothesis: To assess the evolution of laryngeal and extralaryngeal symptoms and findings of laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) throughout a 3-month to 9-month treatment.Study Design: Prospective Controlled Study.Methods: One hundred twenty-seven LPR patients and 123 healthy individuals were enrolled from four European hospitals. Patients were managed with a 3-month personalized treatment considering the LPR characteristics at the impedance-pH monitoring. Regarding the clinical therapeutic response, treatment was adapted for 3 to 6 additional months. Symptoms and findings were assessed throughout the therapeutic course with the Reflux Symptom Score (RSS) and the short version of the Reflux Sign Assessment (sRSA). The relationship between patient and reflux characteristics, symptoms, and findings was assessed.Results: One hundred twenty-one LPR patients completed the study. LPR patients exhibited more laryngeal and extralaryngeal symptoms and findings than healthy individuals. RSS significantly improved from baseline to 6 weeks posttreatment and continued to improve from 3 months to 6 months posttreatment. sRSA significantly improved from baseline to 3 months posttreatment. No further improvement was noted at 6 months posttreatment for pharyngeal and oral findings. Laryngeal findings continued to improve from 3 months to 6 months posttreatment. There was a significant association between patient stress level and RSS (P = .045). At 3 months posttreatment, 28.1% of patients had high or complete response, whereas 47.1% required 6 months or 9 months of treatment. Overall, 24.8% of patients had an LPR chronic course.Conclusions: Laryngeal and extralaryngeal symptoms and findings significantly improved throughout treatment in LPR patients. The improvement of laryngeal findings was slower. Regarding the low prevalence of some digestive or otolaryngological symptoms, a short version of the RSS could be developed.Level Of Evidence: 3 Laryngoscope, 131:1332-1342, 2021. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives/hypothesis: To assess the impact of diet on the saliva pepsin concentration of patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR).Study Design: Non-controlled Prospective Study.Methods: Patients with positive LPR regarding hypopharyngeal-esophageal impedance-pH monitoring (HEMII-pH) were enrolled from three European Hospitals. Patients collected three saliva samples, respectively, in the morning (fasting), and 1 to 2 hour after lunch and dinner. Patients carefully detailed foods and beverages consumed during meals and before the pepsin samples. The 3-month treatment was based on the association of diet, proton pump inhibitors, alginate, or magaldrate regarding the HEMII-pH characteristics. Reflux Symptom Score (RSS) and Reflux Sign Assessment (RSA) were used for assessing the pre- to posttreatment clinical evolution. The Refluxogenic Diet Score and the Refluxogenic Score of a Dish (RESDI) were used to assess the refluxogenic potential of foods and beverages. The relationship between saliva pepsin concentration, HEMII-pH, RESDI, RSS, and RSA was investigated through multiple linear regression.Results: Forty-two patients were included. The saliva pepsin concentration of the 24-hour period of testing was significantly associated with foods and beverages consumed during the testing period and the evening dinner (rs = 0.973, P < .001). RSS and RSA significantly improved throughout treatment. The level of saliva pepsin in the morning was a negative predictive factor of the therapeutic response regarding RSA and RSS (P < .036).Conclusions: Foods and beverages may significantly impact the saliva pepsin concentration of patients with LPR. Patients with high-level saliva pepsin in the morning had lower therapeutic response compared with those with low-level saliva pepsin.Level Of Evidence: 4 Laryngoscope, 131:350-359, 2021. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives/hypothesis: To investigate the profile of patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) at hypopharyngeal-esophageal multichannel intraluminal impedance-pH (HEMII-pH) monitoring and the relationship between hypopharyngeal-proximal reflux episodes (HREs) and saliva pepsin concentration.Study Design: Prospective non-controlled.Methods: Patients were recruited from three European hospitals from January 2018 to October 2019. Patients benefited from HEMII-pH monitoring and saliva collections to measure saliva pepsin concentration in the same time. Saliva pepsin concentration was measured in the morning (fasting), after lunch, and after dinner. The LPR profile of patients was studied through a breakdown of the HEMII-pH findings over the 24 hours of testing. The relationship between the concentrations of saliva pepsin and 24-hour HREs was studied through linear multiple regression.Results: One hundred twenty-six patients completed the study. The HEMII-pH analyses revealed that 73.99% of HREs occurred outside 1-hour postmeal times, whereas 20.49% and 5.52% of HREs occurred during the 1-hour postmeal and nighttime, respectively. Seventy-four patients (58.73%) did not have nighttime HREs. Patients with both daytime and nighttime HREs had more severe HEMII-pH parameters and reflux symptom score compared with patients with only daytime HREs. There were no significant associations between HREs and saliva pepsin concentration.Conclusions: Unlike gastroesophageal reflux disease, HREs occur less frequently after meals and nighttime. The analysis of the HEMII-pH profile of the LPR patients has to be considered to develop future personalized therapeutic strategies.Level Of Evidence: 4 Laryngoscope, 131:268-276, 2021. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the clinical features and the therapeutic response of laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) patients with or without gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).Methods: Patients with LPR symptoms were enrolled from three European Hospitals. The diagnosis of LPR and GERD was made through impedance-pH monitoring (MII-pH). A gastrointestinal endoscopy was realized in patients with digestive complaints or ≥60 years old. The 3- to 6-month treatment was based on the association of diet, pantoprazole, alginate, and magaldrate regarding the MII-pH characteristics. Reflux Symptom Score (RSS) and Reflux Sign Assessment (RSA) were used to evaluate the clinical evolution throughout treatment. The gastrointestinal endoscopy findings, clinical features, and therapeutic response were compared between patients with LPR and GERD (LPR/GERD) and patients with LPR.Results: One hundred and eleven LPR patients were included, 54 being LPR/GERD. LPR/GERD patients had a higher number of proximal reflux episodes compared with LPR patients. The prevalence of esophagitis, hernia hiatal, and lower esophageal sphincter insufficiency did not differ between groups. The presence of GERD was strongly associated with acid LPR. Patients without GERD had a higher proportion of nonacid and mixed LPR compared with LPR/GERD patients. The pre- to posttreatment evolutions of RSS and RSA were quite similar in both groups, with the exception of the 3- to 6-month improvement of digestive symptoms, which was better in LPR/GERD group. The therapeutic success rates were 79.6% and 77.2% in GERD/LPR and LPR group, respectively.Conclusion: GERD is predictive of acid LPR. The clinical evolution and the therapeutic response rates were quite similar in both groups.Level Of Evidence: 4 Laryngoscope, 130: E479-E489, 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives/hypothesis: To develop and validate the Reflux Symptom Score (RSS), a self-administered patient-reported outcome questionnaire for patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR).Study Design: Prospective controlled study.Methods: A total of 113 patients with LPR were enrolled and treated with diet and 3 months of pantoprazole, alginate, and/or magaldrate depending on the LPR characteristics (acid, nonacid, or mixed). Eighty asymptomatic individuals completed the study. Patients and controls completed the RSS twice within a 7-day period to assess test-retest reliability. Internal consistency was measured using Cronbach's α for the RSS items in patients and controls. Validity was assessed by comparing the baseline RSS with the Reflux Symptom Index (RSI) and Voice Handicap Index (VHI). Seventy-seven patients completed the RSS at baseline and after 6 and 12 weeks of treatment to assess responsiveness to change. The RSS cutoff for determining the presence and absence of LPR was examined by receiver operating characteristic analysis.Results: Test-retest reliability (rs = 0.921) and internal consistency reliability (α = 0.969) were high. RSS exhibited high external validity indicated by a significant correlation with the RSI (rs = 0.831). Internal validity was excellent based on the higher RSS in patients compared with controls (P = .001). RSS, RSI, and VHI scores significantly improved from pre- to posttreatment, indicating a high responsiveness to change. RSS >13 can be considered suggestive of LPR-related symptoms. RSS was not influenced by the occurrence of gastroesophageal reflux disease, LPR subtypes, or patient characteristics.Conclusions: RSS is a self-administered patient-reported outcome questionnaire that demonstrates high reliability and excellent criterion-based validity. RSS can be used in diagnosing and monitoring LPR disease.Level Of Evidence: 3b Laryngoscope, 130:E98-E107, 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case of a 31-year old migrant patient which experienced an unexpected complication of transsphenoidal resection of pituitary adenoma. Topics covered include the complaints reported by the patient after his second endoscopic surgical procedure for a pituitary prolactinoma in Africa, the findings of the tympanoscopy, tympanometry and audiometry performed on the patient and the most reported postoperative complications of transsphenoidal surgery.

Presents photographs of a man with red swelling of the anterior neck. Gastrectomy undergone by the patient three years previous to the photograph for invasive adenocarcinoma; Results of biopsies; Diagnosis of metastasis from the previous gastric carcinoma; Death of the patient.