Effectiveness of proton pump inhibitor for the treatment of contact granuloma

Abstract

Background and Objectives Contact granuloma is granulation tissue that occurs mainly in the vocal process of arytenoid cartilage. Among several etiological factors, gastric acid reflux is known to be an important cause. The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical characteristics of contact granuloma and analyze the effectiveness of proton pump inhibitor in the treatment of contact granuloma.Materials and Methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 40 patients who were treated with proton pump inhibitor (PPI) for contact granuloma from January 2011 to December 2015. Reflux finding score (RFS), reflux symptom index (RSI) and size of granuloma were evaluated before and after treatment serially to assess the effectiveness of proton pump inhibitor.Results Of 40 patients, 25 patients (62.5%) and 10 patients (25%) showed improvement and partial improvement of granuloma, respectively. Five patients showed no response. The mean times of partial improvement and improvement were 2.08±2.23 months and 4.60±2.77 months, respectively and mean duration of PPI treatment was 6.8±5.2 months.Conclusion Proton pump inhibitors is effective in the treatment of contact granuloma.