24 hour pH test

[Monica__0__0]

  I recently had the esophageal motility and 24 hour pH test.  No fun at all!!  Because I also have a stricture every time the tube would hit a certain point it would cause me to go into a throwing up attack.  I was told at the time of the test that the muscle that keeps the acid from coming up into the esophagus was almost nonexistent.  I have not heard from the pH test but found it interesting to note when I would have what I call an acid surge I could look at the pH moniter and the pH would get down to 1.3.  I never saw it get above 6.2.  What is the normal pH for stomach acid and what is considered to be high?  Thank you.

Dear Monica,.
A 24 hour ambulatory pH monitoring study is a test to determine whether gastroesophageal reflux is present and whether those reflux episodes can be correlated to symptoms such as chest pain. A thin tube is placed through the nose and gently passed into the lower esophagus. A special monitor is hooked up to the tube which can measure pH (to determine how acid the contents of the esophagus are). Low pH (less than 4) indicates acidity and high pH (greater than 7) indicates alkalinity. Some machines will have a button to press to alert the physician reading the study that you were having symptoms at a particular time. When the tracings are analyzed, the physician looks for the number of episodes and the amount of time that the pH of the lower esophagus is below 4. He or she will also look to see if you were having symptoms at times when you were having episodes of gastroesophageal reflux. 24 hour ambulatory monitoring is currently considered the gold standard to diagnose or confirm a diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease.
This response is being provided for general informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice or consultation. Always check with your personal physician when you have a question pertaining to your health.
If you would like to be seen at our institution please call 1-800-653-6568, our Referring Physicians' Office and make an appointment to see Dr. Muszkat, one of our experts in Gastroenterology.
HFHSM.D.-ym
*Keywords: gastroesophageal reflux disease, 24 hour ambulatory pH monitoring