IS ESOPHAGEAL ECOGRAPHY USEFUL IN THE SCR EENING FOR GASTROESOPHAGEALREFLUX IN CHILDHOOD

Gastroesophageal reflux (CER) is a common condition is paediatrics. Se veral diagnostic test have been proposed to indentify the thim border between the physiologic and the pathologic GER. The esophageal ecograp hy has been proposed as screening test for its low cost ann low invasi veness. The aim of our study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy (i n terms of specificity and sensibility) of the ecography versus the es ophageal 24 hours pHmetry. 91 couple of exams, obtained from 87 sympto matic children, were compared in terms of pathologic and non pathologi c report. The found a high number of false positive ecography results; the -sensitivity was 84% and the specificity wa 10%. No differences w ere found in the different age Groups (from 2 weeks to 5 years of age) , nor in Groups related to the different symptomatology (<<tipical>> - chronic or acute respiratory disease - CNS disorders - plurimal forma tive associations). The ecography can't be used as screening test in t he diagnostical trial for pathologic GER for its low accuracy.