“Histologic vs pH Probe Results in Laryngopharyngeal Reflux”
September 11, 2017“Detecting Reflux in Adults with Eustachian Tube Dysfunction”
September 12, 2017Fink DS, Bhatnagar S, Song P, Bunting G. AAO-HNSF Presentation, 2011.
OBJECTIVES: While there has been widespread conjecture regarding the role of laryngopharyngeal reflux in singing, there remains no objective data demonstrating that voice use causes increased reflux. We attempted to objectively analyze pharyngeal pH changes during singing to better understand how it is affected by singing.
RESULTS: The mean pH for the control time was 6.8347, for the control time without the time supine was 6.9164, and for the time singing was 7.0286. We were thus able to reject the null hypothesis that singing decreases laryngeal pH (P = .035). There was an increase in mean pH during the time singing as compared with the 2 control groups.
CONCLUSION: While singers may have increased reflux complaints, our data suggest that the singing itself does not cause an increase in acid exposure to the laryngopharynx.