[Studies on human nasal cycle with acoustic rhinometry]

The aim of this article was to study the classifications and characteristics of nasal cycle of adult and children and the influence of pathological state of nasal mucosa on nasal cycle with acoustic rhinometry.

We examined the nasal cycle of 16 healthy adults, 11 healthy children and 14 patients with bilateral nasal obstruction. Acoustic rhinometry was performed every 30 minutes (20 minutes in children) over 4-8.5 hours to determine minimum cross-sectional area of nasal cavity (MCA) and nasal cavity volume (NV) which were used as indices of nasal patency.

Nasal cycles were observed in all subjects. Classical nasal cycle was most commonly observed in healthy adults and patients with nasal diseases. In healthy children, in concert nasal cycle was the most common type. The distribution of the healthy adults and patients with nasal diseases between the cycle categories was not statistically significant different (P > 0.05), the mean periodicity of the cycle was no significantly different between these two groups (P > 0.05). The mean alteration amplitude of nasal cycle of healthy adults was significantly longer than that of patients with nasal diseases (P < 0.01). The distribution of the healthy children and the healthy adults between the cycle categories was significantly different (P < 0.01), the mean periodicity of the cycle of healthy children was distinctively shorter than that of healthy adults (P < 0.01).

The above results illustrated that nasal cycle exists as central control and local modulation. In healthy children, in concert nasal cycle was most commonly observed and this may be related with the immature condition of their autonomic nervous system.