Gastric PH metry is a diagnostic procedure during which the level of acidity in the digestive tract is measured. It is carried out with the aim of diagnosing functional disorders in acid-dependent pathologies and choosing the right therapy tactics.
Indications for
Doctors recommend an intragastric pH measurement for pathologies such as:
- Duodenitis.
- Dyspepsia.
- Gastritis.
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease.
- Barrett's esophagus.
- Peptic ulcer.
In addition, the procedure can be carried out in order to assess the state of the gastrointestinal tract after resection of a part of the stomach and evaluate the effectiveness of drugs that lower secretion.
Types of pH Metry
There are several types of research:
- Short-term (carried out for 2-3 hours).
- Express (the duration of the procedure is 15-20 minutes).
- Daily (duration is 24 hours).
- Endoscopic (intragastric). This type of PH-metry is carried out during gastroscopy.
Next, let's talk about contraindications.
Contraindications
In some cases, experts recommend that you refrain from taking a pH meter of the stomach:
- After recent surgeries in the upper gastrointestinal tract.
- With varicose veins in the esophagus.
- With ulcerative lesions of the esophagus, the presence of neoplasms in it.
- In the presence of bleeding in the upper digestive tract.
Among the contraindications that impede the study, the following conditions are distinguished:
- Obstruction of the respiratory tract.
- Severe jaw injuries.
- Severe forms of hypertension.
- Coronary insufficiency
- Aneurysms of the aorta.
- Burns of the esophagus, diverticulitis.
Training
Before the procedure of pH-measurement of the stomach, the patient should properly prepare:
- You must follow a diet. Fatty, salty, spicy and fried foods should be excluded from the diet. In addition, it is important to refrain from drinking carbonated drinks, coffee, strong tea, marinades, alcohol, vegetable, fruit juices. You need to eat three times a day, excluding snacks.
- The installation of the probe occurs on an empty stomach. If the patient has a violation of the food evacuation process, it is important to flush the stomach with a thick probe the night before the study day until clean water is obtained. The next morning, it is necessary by a similar procedure to remove the secret that has accumulated overnight from the stomach.
- For 12 hours before the start of the study, the patient is prohibited from smoking and eating food. It is necessary to stop eating 4 hours before the introduction of the probe, as this can affect the result of the study.
- If the patient is shown the use of drugs included in the group of H2-blockers, as well as medicines related to the proton pump, they should first stop taking them 72 hours before the study. It is recommended to refuse antacid drugs 12 hours before the procedure.
How is it carried out?
To carry out the procedure, special probes are used. They are administered through the mouth or nose, depending on what type of study is carried out:
- Short-term pH-metry involves the installation of an oral probe. After its introduction, the patient should be under the supervision of medical staff for three hours. During the study, an endoscope is inserted into the patient’s mouth, and after the examination is completed, a special electrode for measurement is introduced using a special biopsy channel. At the same time, a reference electrode is attached to the wrist, which records the results. During the procedure, the probe is leaned against various zones of the stomach, the localization and number of which depends on the pathology. Monitoring is carried out on a special screen.
- Long-term pH-metry involves the use of a thinner transnasal probe and is one of the types of gastroscopy of the stomach without swallowing the probe. The device is introduced through the nasal passage, which allows the patient to lead a familiar lifestyle. In addition, a special belt is attached to the wrist, which captures the changes. In this case, the patient will not need to ensure that you do not accidentally bite the probe. The new imported devices use a special radio capsule, which the patient simply swallows like a pill. And this is the second method of gastroscopy without swallowing the probe.
- In the rapid method, a small amount of soda solution is injected into the stomach in order to stimulate the formation of acid.
You can take medication and food only 40 minutes after the introduction of the probe and the start of the study. How is the pH-measurement of the stomach, it is important to find out in advance.
With a long study
If the study takes more than a day, then the patient is recommended to return to his usual living conditions. That is, the analysis will be carried out at home - the patient does not have to stay in a medical facility. Its nutrition should be the same as usual. The only restriction is the use of alcoholic beverages, mineral water, products that can increase acidity.
Whenever possible, the patient should stand, walk or sit, that is, maintain an upright position during daily pH measurement of the stomach. Take a horizontal position should only be during sleep. It is not recommended to use more than one pillow.
To get informative data on the pH-metry of the stomach, it is important to keep a diary and note in it:
- Temporary events, as well as their duration.
- When conducting a study in order to assess the effectiveness of drugs, it is important to fix the name of the drug, the dosage used, the exact time of use.
- The time during which the patient remains in a horizontal position (regardless of whether he is sleeping or not).
After the procedure is completed, the probe is removed, and the patient returns to his usual lifestyle.
results
After completion of the study, the gastroenterologist takes readings recorded by a special receiver.
Results may be as follows:
- 7.0-7.5 - anacidity.
- 3.6-6.9 - a pronounced degree of hypoacidity.
- 2.3-3.5 - reduced acidity.
- 1.6-2.2 is the norm.
- 1.3-1.5 - moderate degree of hyperacidity.
- 0.9-1.2 - a pronounced degree of hyperacidity.
It should be noted that the gastroenterologist takes into account not only the obtained digital indicators, but also the general condition of the stomach. For example, the acidity level for a patient suffering from an ulcer will be excessive.
In the case when the patient shows a decrease in acidity, he is recommended to undergo daily monitoring. Such a technique allows to exclude the receipt of false results, which are often found if the patient on the eve of the study did not refuse drugs that can inhibit the secretion of gastric juice.
Daily monitoring rarely shows true hypoacidity. Its presence can be judged only if the acidity did not fall below 4.0 throughout the study. In such a case, it is concluded that hydrochloric acid is not produced in the patient’s stomach, and there is no digestion.
How to determine the acidity of the stomach yourself?
Reliable determination of pH in the stomach at home is not possible. The patient can only independently suggest the presence of increased or decreased acidity, based on the symptoms.
With increased acidity appears nervousness, irritability, constipation, flatulence, bloating, increased appetite, sour taste in the mouth after eating, the development of heartburn after eating a fatty, spicy, fried, sour dish.
With low acidity observed: diarrhea, rumbling in the abdomen after eating, discomfort, heaviness, a feeling of fullness in the stomach, putrefactive belching, a coppery taste in the oral cavity in the morning, morning nausea, severe loss of appetite.
From the amount of free hydrochloric acid, a person can react differently to a variety of products. Some of them help to reduce pain, while others, on the contrary, lead to a deterioration in the patient’s well-being:
- Lemon. To people with low acidity, it does not seem nasty. They can consume it every day.
- Baking soda. 1 teaspoon of powder is dissolved in warm water (100 ml). It helps with severe heartburn, sour belching and hungry stomach pains.
- Apple juice can cause severe pain, especially if consumed on an empty stomach. This indicates increased secretion. Lack of discomfort is the norm. But if there is a constant desire to eat sour, then the secretion is clearly reduced.
- Millet with butter. With increased secretion, it will cause heartburn.
To reliably know, you should contact a gastroenterologist and undergo the necessary examination.
We examined how to determine the acidity of the stomach independently and in a medical institution.