The Role of Transnasal Esophagoscopy in ENT Office: A Prospective, Multicenter Study in Korea

OBJECTIVES The purpose of study was to report the current role of transnasal esophagoscopy (TNE) in Korea. METHODS One hundred thirty-seven patients who underwent TNE at Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital (n=69) and Korea University Anam Hospital (n=68) from July 2007 to February 2009 were prospectively analyzed. Laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPRD) patients without any response to proton-pump inhibitor (n=102), and patients with complaints that require esophagoscopy as part of their evaluation (n=35) were included in this study; investigation of metachronous lesions or routine follow-up screening of head and neck cancer patients, n=17; dysphagia, n=9; blood tinged saliva, n=4; to determine the cause of vocal fold paralysis as screening tool, n=4; suspicious esophageal foreign body, n=1. RESULTS Fifty-three patients (38.7%) had positive findings on TNE. Positive finding ratio was highest in group of dysphagia (7 among 9 patients, 78%). Forty-two patients (41.1%) were found to have pathology (esophagitis, n=41; esophageal diverticulum, n=1) during the screening examination for LPRD. There were no significant complications in any of the patients. CONCLUSION TNE is a high-yield diagnostic and therapeutic modality available to otolaryngologists for use on awake patients in the office setting.