Esophageal Mucosal Impedance: A Promising Alternative for GERD Diagnosis

Impedance-pH monitoring is the gold standard for diagnosing GERD, especially when endoscopy is normal but symptoms persist. However, it’s costly, less accessible, and requires a 24-hour transnasal catheter. A recent study explored mucosal impedance measurement during endoscopy as a simpler alternative. Among 60 patients, those with abnormal acid exposure had significantly lower mucosal impedance at 2 and 5 cm above the esophagogastric junction. A cutoff >2970 Ω at 2 cm showed 96.4% sensitivity and 87.5% specificity to exclude GERD, highlighting this method as a promising, less invasive diagnostic tool.

References: https://www.jnmjournal.org/journal/view.html?uid=1927&vmd=Full&