Innovative acid reflux test enables doctors to diagnose patients with greater accuracy, significantly improving treatment
The Oregon Clinic has announced that it has adopted the Restech Dx-pH Measurement System™ to detect acid reflux in the airway. The Restech DX-System is utilized by The Oregon Clinic, Gastrointestinal & Minimally Invasive Surgery Division’s (GMIS) Foregut Program for the diagnosis and treatment of all diseases of the upper digestive system.
Restech’s Dx-System provides valuable information about patients’ pharyngeal acid exposure and its role in various comorbidities, helping physicians diagnose the cause of each patient’s symptoms more accurately, and treat the patient more effectively.
“The Restech DX-System is a patient-friendly way in which to diagnose an increasingly important clinical problem – GERD related respiratory and pharyngeal problems,” said Christy M. Dunst, M.D., Primary Investigator, The Oregon Clinic. “Our patients are often plagued with chronic symptoms like cough, sore throat or hoarseness that can be very difficult for their specialists to diagnosis. Since GERD is potentially treatable, identifying it as the cause of the problem can eventually lead to a definitive treatment. We are excited to offer this comfortable diagnostic procedure to our patients being treated in the GMIS Foregut Program.”
Kristy Fresh, Director of Operations, The Oregon Clinic, said, “We provide our adult patients with the latest and most advanced diagnostic testing available on the West Coast, as well as a full line of treatment options tailored specific to each patient’s individual needs and lifestyle. The Restech DX-System helps us to determine the least invasive intervention to relieve patients’ problems for a variety of esophageal and digestive disorders.”
Restech Dx–pH Measurement System
The Restech Dx–pH Measurement System is a revolutionary system that comfortably measures pH in the airway. Gastric reflux in the upper airway, or laryngopharyngeal reflux, commonly takes a gaseous form that cannot be measured using conventional technology. The miniaturized pH sensor at the tip of the Dx–pH Probe is unique in its ability to measure pH in a non-liquid environment, such as the pharynx. By monitoring the pH levels in the pharynx, the Dx–System enables physicians to confirm or deny the presence of laryngopharyngeal reflux, and evaluate it as a possible contributor to their patients’ symptoms.
The Dx–pH Probe’s miniaturized, patented sensor is housed in the tear-drop shaped tip at the distal end of a thin trans-nasal catheter. An LED blinks during placement, allowing the medical personnel to confirm the proper placement in the oropharynx. The small size and minimally invasive position of the Restech Dx–pH Probe allows patients to carry on normal, everyday activities including eating, talking and sleeping with more comfort than conventional esophageal pH probes.
The measurements taken by the pH sensor are sent wirelessly to a recording device which the patient carries throughout the study period. Upon completion of the study (usually 24 hours), the patient returns to the physician’s office where the data is downloaded and presented graphically for analysis using Restech’s custom Dx–pH DataView software.