Scintigraphic evaluation of nasal mucociliary activity in unilateral chronic otitis media

Mucociliary clearance is a key defence mechanism in human upper and lower airways. Although mucociliary activity is present in both ears of the patients, most cases of chronic otitis media are unilateral. In this study, we aim to evaluate the difference between nasal mucociliary activity of the affected and non-affected sides in patients with unilateral chronic otitis media. Both nasal transport times of 36 patients with unilateral chronic otitis media were compared statistically with each other and with the control group by independent samples t-test. The nasal mucociliary transport times of the nasal cavity at the same side as the affected ear and as the non-affected ear are significantly different, in the same patients. Our study shows that impaired or decreased nasal mucociliary activity may result in dysfunction of the eustachian tube and middle-ear ciliary activity, which plays an important role in the aetiopathogenesis of chronic otitis media.