Clearance of nasal mucus in nonanesthetized and anesthetized dogs

Clearance rates for nasal mucus in the maxillary turbinate region were measured in 8 Beagle dogs. 99mTc Macroaggregated albumin (10 microliters) was instilled in the nasal maxillary region of dogs under general anesthesia. A gamma camera was used to detect movement of the 99mTc macroaggregated albumin in the nose for 1 hour after it was instilled. Velocity of mucus was measured in the 8 dogs each under 3 conditions of anesthesia: anesthesia with pentobarbital given IV (20 mg/kg of body weight), anesthesia with halothane gas, and no anesthesia. Mean velocities (+/- SD) were 3.7 +/- 1.4 mm/min in dogs anesthetized with pentobarbital, 4.3 +/- 2.5 mm/min in dogs anesthetized with halothane, and 3.4 +/- 1.7 mm/min in awake dogs. The differences between the 3 anesthetic conditions were not significant at the P less than 0.05 level. Use of anesthesia at a light surgical plane provides a controlled method for measurement of clearance of nasal mucus with minimal alterations from the nonanesthetized state.