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Updated: May 10, 2026

Saline Lavage for Sampling of the Canine Nasal Immune Microenvironment
Published on: December 27, 2024
Physical characteristics of commercial and home-made nasal lavage solutions
N Lilic1, S Waldvogel-Thurlow2, R G Douglas2
1Department of ORL Head and Neck Surgery, Auckland City Hospital, New Zealand.
Introduction:
Nasal saline lavage forms a cornerstone of chronic rhinosinusitis management. A number of saline lavage recipes and products are currently available but little is known of their relative physical characteristics.
Aims:
To determine the osmolarity and pH of nasal lavage solutions, both commercial preparations and home-made recipes, and to determine the reproducibility of saline solution preparation.
Methods:
Five home-made recipes and two commercial products were prepared in triplicate and analysed. Eight consecutive clinic patients prepared a commercial product and 11 prepared a home-made recipe, and the osmolarity and pH were measured.
Results:
The osmolarity of the solutions varied widely, from 140 to 788 mmol/l and the pH varied from 7.88 to 8.50. The commercial and home-made solutions had similar reproducibility when prepared by patients.
Conclusion:
Some recipes were markedly hypo-osmolar and some were hyper-osmolar. All were slightly alkaline. The home-made recipes had similar physical characteristics and reproducibility to commercial preparations.
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