title: Sources of variability in posterior rhinomanometry.
abstract: Sources of variability in nasal airway resistance measured by posterior rhinomanometry were studied in 5 subjects tested on 5 different days and 56 subjects tested on 2 different days. On each day, a questionnaire on upper airway health and nasal symptoms was completed. The mean individual difference in nasal airway resistance between the 2 test days in the group of 56 subjects was 5.3% (SD 52.7%). Between-subject variability accounted for 74.9% and 72.5% of the total variability in the group of 5 and the group of 56 subjects, respectively. For the 5 subjects, by accounting for a change in upper airway symptoms or upper respiratory tract infection that occurred over the 5 test days, there was a significant decrease in the between-subject variability. The difference in sources of variation due to a change in upper airway symptoms was not seen in the group of 56 subjects. We conclude that the largest source of variability in nasal airway resistance is due to between-subject differences.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of New Mexico Medical Center, Albuquerque.
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: James
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Stidley
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Mermier
authors.forename: W E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Lambert
authors.forename: T W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Chick
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Samet
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000403:Airway Resistance / Q000502:physiology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008365:Manometry / Q000379:methods; D015508:Nasal Obstruction / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013997:Time Factors