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Changes in nasal airway dimensions in infancy
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Ullevaal University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
Insights
Nasal airway dimensions in infants significantly increase during the first year of life. Acoustic rhinometry reveals growth is primarily linked to body size, not gender, and can detect congestion effects.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Otolaryngology
- Respiratory Physiology
- Infant Development
Background:
- Nasal airway geometry is crucial for infant respiration.
- Understanding nasal airway growth and maturation is essential for diagnosing respiratory conditions.
- Previous studies on infant nasal airway dimensions are limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the dimensional growth and maturation of nasal airway geometry in healthy infants.
- To evaluate the utility of acoustic rhinometry in infant nasal airway assessment.
- To identify factors influencing nasal airway dimensions, including gender and nasal congestion.
Main Methods:
- Continuous wide-band noise acoustic rhinometry was performed on 39 infants at 1 year of age.
- A specialized infant-optimized probe was utilized.
- Measurements included minimal cross-sectional area, anterior nasal airway volume, and distance to minimal cross-sectional area.
Main Results:
- Significant increases in nasal airway dimensions were observed during the first year of life.
- Total minimal cross-sectional area increased by 67%, anterior volume by 36%, and distance to minimum area by 19%.
- Gender differences in nasal dimensions were attributed to body size. Nasal congestion was associated with reduced airway volume and minimal cross-sectional area.
Conclusions:
- Acoustic rhinometry with an infant-optimized probe is effective for studying infant upper airway physiology.
- Nasal airway dimensions grow significantly in the first year, influenced by body size.
- This method can help differentiate between healthy and congested nasal airways in infants.
Abstract:
Thirty-nine infants, previously examined as neonates, were re-examined at 1 year of age with continuous wide-band noise acoustic rhinometry using a specific probe optimized for infants, to determine the dimensional growth and maturation of nasal airway geometry in otherwise healthy infants. During the first year of life, the acoustically determined dimensions of the nasal airways increased significantly. The total minimal cross-sectional area increased by 67% (0.21 cm2-->0.35 cm2), the volume of the anterior 4 cm of the nasal airway by 36% (1.80 cm3-->2.44 cm3) and the distance to the minimum cross-sectional area by 19% (0.78 cm-->0.93 cm). The rhinometric values of male infants were significantly larger than those of females. However, after adjusting for the significantly larger anthropometric values of males, the difference disappeared, indicating that it was mainly due to body size and not directly to gender. A highly significant correlation (r=0.44, p < 0.006) was observed between the minimum cross-sectional area and head circumference, which anatomically are the most closely related rhinometric and anthropometric values. Furthermore, when differentiating between infants with or without signs of nasal congestion during the fortnight preceding the rhinometric evaluation, a reduction in the total volume of the anterior 4 cm (17% p <0.02) and minimum cross-sectional area (12%, ns) was observed after adjustment. We conclude that the optimized acoustic rhinometric probe is a useful investigative modality, permitting studies of upper airway physiology of healthy and diseased infants.