Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 2, 2026

Bronchial Thermoplasty: A Novel Therapeutic Approach to Severe Asthma
Published on: November 4, 2010
Three-dimensional upper-airway assessment in patients with bronchial asthma
Alexandre Marcos Bandeira1, Paula Vanessa Pedron Oltramari-Navarro, Ricardo de Lima Navarro
1a Former graduate student, Orthodontic Department, University of North Parana (UNOPAR), Londrina, Brazil.
Objective:
To assess the upper airway (UAW) total volume (TV), the nasopharyngeal narrowest area (NNA), and the oropharyngeal narrowest area (ONA) in patients with bronchial asthma.
Materials And Methods:
The sample consisted of 52 patients divided into two groups: the control group (n = 26; mean age = 14.85 years), which consisted of patients not suffering from bronchial asthma; and the asthmatic group (n = 26; mean age = 16.65 years), which consisted of patients with bronchial asthma. To assess UAW-related variables (TV, NNA, and ONA), cone-beam computed tomography scans of the patients were evaluated by means of the Dolphin Imaging software 11.5. All measurements were repeated after 30 days, and the results were submitted to reliability tests by means of the intraclass correlation coefficient and the Bland-Altman agreement test. The values obtained for TV, NNA, and ONA for each group were compared by using Student's t-test for independent samples (5% level of significance).
Results:
The results showed that the groups were matched concerning gender, cephalometric characteristics, and type of malocclusion. The asthmatic group had significantly lower TV (P = .01) and ONA (P = .007) than the control group. However, no significant difference was observed for NNA between the groups (P = .54).
Conclusions:
Bronchial asthma may be a determining factor for the reduction of UAW dimensions, as patients with asthma showed significant reductions in TV and ONA dimensions.
Related Concept Videos
Asthma III: Clinical Manifestations
Asthma-IV: Diagnostic and Management
Clinical Assessment for Asthma:
This is the first step in diagnosing and managing asthma. It includes:
Physical Assessment of the Respiratory Tract I: Health History
Subjective Data
Subjective data provides vital information about the patient's health history and symptoms. This data is typically collected through interviews in which patients describe their experiences, symptoms, and concerns.
Health history and...
Assessment of Airway, Skin Color, and Use of Accessory Muscles
Introduction
The initial evaluation of a patient's respiratory system...
Physical Assessment of the Respiratory Tract IV: Auscultation
Breath Sounds
Breath sounds are categorized into vesicular, bronchovesicular, and bronchial.
Assessment of Respiration
Subjective Assessment: Nurses interview the patient to gather information directly during the subjective assessment. It includes questions about the individual's medical history, medications, and symptoms, focusing on past respiratory conditions like...

