Human nasal ciliary-beat frequency in normal and chronic sinusitis subjects

Ciliary-beat frequency (CBF) is an important factor influencing mucociliary flow in the respiratory tract. A significant correlation exists between CBF and mucus transport time (MTT), which suggests that CBF is the main factor in nasal mucociliary clearance in healthy individuals. Mucociliary clearance is influenced by the temperature of the inspired air and decreases at temperatures below 33 degrees C. It is unknown whether CBF varies in different sites within the nasal chamber and exactly how CBF is altered in disease states such as chronic sinusitis (CS) and nasal polyposis (NP). Our study was conducted in an attempt to answer these questions.

CBF was measured in nasal biopsies from eight normal control subjects: 6 CS and 8 NP patients. Biopsies from the regions of the maxillary, ethmoid, frontal, and sphenoid sinus ostia were also obtained. The material was analyzed using a computerized image-processing system.

Our data demonstrated a significant decrease in CBF at 22 degrees C compared to at 35 degrees C for all sinus biopsies (p < .05). We found no statistical difference between the CBF of biopsies from the regions of the various sinus ostia. A comparison between the patients with CS and normal controls again revealed no significant difference in CBF, a finding which contradicts previously published reports. Surprisingly, an increase in CBF was observed in NP patients compared to control and CS patients (p < .05).

We conclude that our technique is a viable model for studying sinonasal CBF in the human. Our data suggest that a mechanism other than decreased CBF may account for the decreased mucociliary clearance observed in chronic sinusitis.