Diagnosing Heartburn

It may require no more than visiting your doctor and answering a few questions about your symptoms to determine if you have heartburn from acid reflux. Your doctor can then recommend several different treatment options, depending on your particular symptoms and medical profile.

Additional Diagnostic Tools

• Upper gastrointestinal barium study: Also called an upper GI series, this test allows for examination of the upper parts of the gastrointestinal tract, including the esophagus, stomach, and small intestine. Learn more about this procedure.
• Upper endoscopy: For this test, the doctor uses a flexible tube equipped with a lens, called an endoscope, to view your esophagus, your stomach, and the upper part of your small intestine (duodenum). Suspicious areas can be biopsied during the exam. Learn more about this procedure.
• Esophageal manometry: This test uses soft tubing, inserted through the nose, or sometimes the mouth, to measure the pressure in the esophagus and the lower esophageal sphincter (LES).
• Esophageal pH monitoring: This test uses a probe to monitor and record acid levels near the LES. The probe is inserted via the nose.