Screening for Barrett's Esophagus in Otolaryngology Patients

The purpose of this project is to develop an accurate method to identify patients that suffer from acid reflux, but may not present with classic reflux symptoms (such as heart burn). Additionally, it is the purpose of this project to utilize the Unsedated Small-caliber Endoscopy (USE) to assess the prevalence of Barrett's esophagus in a population of patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) symptoms and to define normal patterns of LPR. Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) is when a small amount of stomach contents and acid are pushed up through the esophagus and may affect the vocal cords and upper respiratory tract.

It is suspected that patients with LPR symptoms may have a prevalence of Barrett's esophagus similar to that found in a population with typical reflux symptoms. We propose to systematically test this hypothesis using the USE.

This project is designed to improve the methods of identifying patients with a form of acid reflux that is often undetected, and thus untreated. If this project is successful then more patients with Barrett's esophagus will be identified; furthermore, screening and treatment for this pre-cancerous condition will be improved.