Nasal pressure-volume relationships determined with acoustic
rhinometry.
Kesavanathan, Jana, David L. Swift, Rebecca Bascom,.
Division of Environmental Health Engineering, Department of
Environmental Health Sciences, The Johns Hopkins University School of
Hygiene and Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, Environmental
Research Facility, The Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care
Medicine, The Department of Medicine, The University of Maryland
School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
APStracts 2:0153A, 1995.
Partitioning of ventilation has been hypothesized to be related to
nasal pressure-volume relationships, relationships that have been
difficult to measure. Regional differences in nasal passage pressure
-volume relationships are likely since the nasal valve and anterior
turbinate are structurally different, but both altered by agents that
alter vascular tone. This study determined nasal volume/pressure
ratio(NVPR) on six healthy nonsmoking subjects by measuring nasal
volume using acoustic rhinometry at pressures ranging between -14 and
+14 cm H2O on three days: baseline, following intranasal decongestion
(oxymetazoline), and congestion (histamine). NVPR was lower in the
nasal valve (NVPRnv 0.07+/-0.01cm3/cmH20) than in the anterior
portion of the turbinates (NVPRat 0.29+/-0.05cm3/cmH20; p<0.005).
Oxymetazoline decongestion decreased NVPRnv 23% and NVPRat 47%.
Histamine did not alter NVPR at either site. Nasal resistance changes
correlated with changes in nasal valve and anterior turbinate volume.
In summary, regional differences in nasal pressure-volume
relationships exist and changes occur with pharmacologically-induced
vascular decongestion.
Received 9 February 1994; accepted in final form 29 March 1995.
APS Manuscript Number A152-4.
Article publication pending Journal of Applied Physiology.
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1995 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 19 April 1995.