Abstract
Electromyography (EMG) was performed by drawing a probe out through the esophagus in 38 patients with gastroesophageal reflux (GER) aged 3 weeks to 9 years; 22 asymptomatic infants served as controls. While drawing the probe through the esophagus, the EMG esophageal profile picture was obtained: zones with EMG (L EMG ) and with EKG only (L EKG ) were revealed. It was found that the EMG zone in patients with GER was significantly shorter in comparison with controls, i. e., less than one-half the esophageal length. The index L EMG /L EKG was always less than 1 in patients with GER and more than 1 in the control group. As a result of the EMG findings, GER was excluded in 7 patients with vomiting, 4 of whom had other causes while 3 proved to be physiological and resolved spontaneously. The method also appeared to be useful for evaluating the effectiveness of GER treatment.
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Troyan, V.V. Esophageal electromyography in the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux in infants and children. Pediatr Surg Int 8, 472–475 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00180347
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00180347