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The relationship between the nasal cycle and mucociliary clearance
Author(s) -
Littlejohn Mark C.,
Stiernberg Charles M.,
Hokanson James A.,
Quinn Francis B.,
Bailey Byron J.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
the laryngoscope
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1531-4995
pISSN - 0023-852X
DOI - 10.1288/00005537-199202000-00002
Subject(s) - mucociliary clearance , rhinomanometry , medicine , mucous membrane of nose , saccharin , respiratory tract , anesthesia , airway , nose , respiratory system , surgery , immunology , lung
Nasal airway resistances were measured bilaterally on subjects at 30‐minute intervals over 6 hours using anterior rhinomanometry. The first 10 subjects found to exhibit alternating congestion and decongestion of the nasal mucosa (i.e., the nasal cycle) were included in the study. Using the saccharin method, nasal mucociliary clearance was determined for each subject in both the congested and decongested phases of the cycle. The results were statistically significant at the P <.09 level, highly suggestive of a difference in nasal mucociliary clearance between the two phases of the cycle, with the congested phase having the more rapid clearance. However, when compared to the mucociliary clearance times in disease states, the difference in transport times between the two phases is probably not clinically significant.