Superficial nasal mucosal blood flow and nasal patency following topical oxymetazoline hydrochloride

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of 60 micrograms oxymetazoline on nasal mucosal blood flow (NMBF) measured by laser Doppler velocimetry. Nasal airflow (measured by anterior rhinomanometry) and subjectively perceived airflow (measured by visual analog scales) were also evaluated. A reduction of NMBF (mL/100 g tissue/min) was observed following local application of 60 micrograms oxymetazoline that was not observed after the vehicle was applied. For example, NMBF at baseline was measured at 78.8 +/- 10.3 mL/100 g tissue/min (mean +/- SEM). During the five minutes following vehicle application, mean values remained at 81.8 +/- 8.8 mL/100 g tissue/min. Five minutes after topical oxymetazoline treatment, NMBF was reduced 49% to 38.3 +/- 10.2 mL/100 g tissue/min. Nasal airflow (mL/sec), which was measured before and after LDV probe placement, was not significantly increased in either the ipsilateral (281.4 +/- 33.1 to 314.3 +/- 31.6) or contralateral nostril (335.7 +/- 26.9 to 262.1 +/- 36.4), probably due to the limited surface application of drug. Subjective assessments of congestion by both the investigator and the subject showed significant improvements in the ipsilateral nostril. We conclude that, under the conditions of our study, localized application of 60 micrograms oxymetazoline significantly reduces superficial nasal blood flow and provides subjectively perceived improvements in nasal stuffiness.