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[Nasal cavity dimensions in the infants measured with acoustic rhinometry]
1Department of Otolaryngology, China-Japan Union Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun 130031.
Insights
Acoustic rhinometry establishes normal nasal airway measurements in healthy infants. These values differ significantly in infants with upper respiratory infections, aiding diagnosis.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Otolaryngology
- Respiratory Physiology
Context:
- Infant nasal airway assessment is crucial for diagnosing conditions like nasal obstruction.
- Acoustic rhinometry (AR) offers a non-invasive method for evaluating nasal cavity dimensions.
Purpose:
- To determine the normal range of key nasal airway parameters in healthy infants using acoustic rhinometry.
- To compare these measurements between healthy infants and those with acute upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs).
Summary:
- Normal ranges were established for minimal cross-sectional area (MCA: 0.2-0.5 cm²), distance to MCA (DCA: 1.93-2.47 cm), nasal volume (NV: 2.69-4.75 cm³), and nasopharyngeal volume (NPV: 3.83-8.92 cm³).
- Significant differences in MCA, DCA, and NV were observed between healthy infants and those with URTIs.
Impact:
- Acoustic rhinometry provides objective data for infant nasal airway evaluation.
- These findings support the use of AR in studying infant nasal physiology, pathophysiology, and guiding clinical diagnosis and treatment effectiveness for nasal diseases.
Objective:
To investigate the range of normal value of minimal cross-sectional area (MCA) of the nasal cavity, distance of minimal cross-sectional area from the nostril (DCA), total nasal cavity volume(NV) and total nasopharyngeal cavity volume (NPV) of healthy infants.
Method:
One hundred and seventy-five healthy infants and one hundred and eight infants suffered from acute upper respiratory tract infection were measured with acoustic rhinometry.
Result:
The range of total MCA of healthy infants was 0.2-0.5 (cm)2, DCA was 1.93-2.47 cm, NV was 2.69-4.75 cm3 and NPV was 3.83-8.92 cm3. Comparing healthy infants with infants suffered from acute upper respiratory tract infection, there all were significant differences in MCA, DCA and NV.
Conclusion:
Acoustic rhinometry suit objective assessment of the nasal airways in infants. It is demonstrated that these data can provide available information for the study of nasal physiology and pathophysiology, well as for the diagnosis and judgement of therapeutic effectiveness of nasal diseases.