Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Disease (LPR), also known as “silent reflux,” is a condition in which stomach acid backs up into the throat, voice box, or into the back of the nasal airways; which results in the inflammation of these areas.
Patients with reflux often take non-prescription drugstore medications for acid reflux or to stop heartburn; however, these are only meant to be taken as a temporary measure and not a permanent solution. When the issue becomes chronic, it’s time to see a doctor.
Processed foods often contain acids used in preservatives. Over time, these acids can eat away at the esophagus, sometimes resulting in esophageal cancer. A screening known as Transnasal Esophagoscopy (TNE) is offered here at ENT Institute that can check for cancer and other esophagus-related disorders.
Tonsils and adenoids are masses of tissue similar to the lymph nodes found in the neck, groin, and armpits. Tonsils are the two masses on the back of the throat. Adenoids are high in the throat behind the nose and the roof of the mouth (soft palate) and are not visible through the mouth without special instruments. Tonsils and adenoids are near the entrance to the breathing passages where they can catch incoming germs that could cause tonsillitis.
If you or your child’s adenoids are enlarged, it may be hard to breathe through the nose. Other signs of constant enlargement are:
Transnasal esophagoscopy (TNE) is done to check for cancer and other esophageal disorders while patients are awake, comfortable, and without pain. Anyone who has difficulty swallowing, painful swallowing or dysphagia, or who had acid reflux, should have a TNE examination. TNE is currently the best method for screening the esophagus for trouble. Depending on the findings of the TNE, other diagnostics may be needed.
TNE translates to “through-the-nose examination” of the esophagus. The TNE examination is every bit as comprehensive and thorough as more expensive and invasive methods that require sedation in a special facility. In 2001, Dr. Koufman first reported a series of TNE patients.
There may be as many as 125 million Americans who need esophageal screening, and at present about 10 million esophageal examinations are performed each year, mostly by gastroenterologists in expensive facilities with the patients under sedation. The sedated (GI) endoscopy industry costs America more than $50 billion per year; however, TNE is the safer, less-expensive, and more accurate alternative.
“Anyone with acid reflux or who has chronic hoarseness, heartburn, indigestion,sore throat, difficulty swallowing (dysphagia), or chronic cough should have a screening transnasal esophagoscopy performed to rule out Barrett’s esophagus or esophageal cancer.” – Dr. Jamie A. Koufman