[Do the effects of posture change and climbing stairs on nasal patency differ in acoustic rhinometry?]

Divergent results concerning nasal patency during positional body changes are found using acoustic rhinometry. Only small numbers of healthy subjects have been tested. The present study shall examine a larger number of healthy subjects providing a basis for later findings in sick nasal mucosa.

40 healthy subjects (20 female, 20 male; average age: 32.8+/-13.8 years) without any nasal and cardiovascular disease were examined. Using acoustic rhinometry, the total nasal volume (Vt) and the total minimum nasal cross-sectional area (Ft) were calculated from the collected data. Six measurements were made: in sedentary rest position, standing, lying dorsally, after standing up, after climbing stairs and in iteration in sedentary rest position.

In healthy subjects, the total nasal volume (i. e. the nasal respiration space of the two nasal passages) did not change during standing and lying, after rapid standing up and in a repeat measurement 5 hours later. After climbing stairs, the nasal mucosa decongested significantly, chiefly dorsal to the isthmus nasi. The birhine partial volume (V2) increased by an average of 33 %.

Positional changes have no effect on healthy nasal mucosa. Total nasal respiration is unaffected. The reaction of sick nasal mucosa must be established in future investigations.