The Accuracy of the Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Diagnosis

Abstract

Objective

To determine the prevalence and also accuracy of the laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) referring diagnosis and to determine the most useful clinical tool in arriving at the final diagnosis in a tertiary laryngology practice.

Study Design

Case series with planned data collection.

Setting

Six tertiary academic laryngology practices.

Subjects and Methods

We collected referring diagnosis and demographic information, including age, sex, ethnicity, referring physician, and whether or not patients had prior flexible laryngoscopy for 1077 patients presenting with laryngologic complaints from January 2010 and June 2013. Final diagnosis after the referred laryngologist’s examination and the key diagnostic test used was then recorded.

Results

Of 1077 patients, 132 had a singular referring diagnosis of LPR. Only 47 of 132 patients (35.6%) had LPR confirmed on final primary diagnosis. Transnasal flexible laryngoscopy confirmed this in 27 of 47 (57.4%) patients. Eighty-five of 132 (64.4%) had a different final diagnosis than LPR. Sixty-five of 85 (76.5%) of these alternative pathologies were diagnosed with the aid of laryngeal stroboscopy.

Conclusions

LPR appears to be an overused diagnosis for laryngologic complaints. For patients who have already had transnasal flexible laryngoscopic exams prior to their referral, laryngeal stroboscopy is the key diagnostic tool in arriving at the correct diagnosis.