title: [Acoustic rhinometry: determination of early and late-phase reactions in allergic rhinitis].
abstract: Allergic rhinitis is characterized by morphological changes in the nasal cavity that produce airway obstruction. Acoustic rhinometry (AR) was used to analyze changes in the nasal airways of 10 patients with allergic rhinitis who underwent a nasal provocation test with 1000 biological units of specific allergen. Acoustic rhinometry was carried out 10, 20, 30, 45, and 60 minutes, and 2 and 8 hours after exposure to allergen. The parameters analyzed were minimal cross-sectional area (MCA) and a new parameter, volume A (VA), obtained by integration of the distance/area graph surrounding the anterior part of the lower turbinate. The early-phase reaction after exposure to allergen was a 10-30% reduction of MCA and VA compared with baseline value. The late-phase reaction was one-third as strong. The contralateral MCA and VA were affected only minimally in the early-phase reaction, but a symmetrical response was observed in the late-phase reaction. VA changes were more evident than MCA changes. The results show that acoustic rhinometry is suitable for measuring local changes following exposure to nasal antigens, particularly if both VA and MCA are evaluated.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de ORL, Universidad Ludwig-Maximilians de Munich.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bujía
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rasp
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D009296:Nasal Cavity / Q000503:physiopathology; D015508:Nasal Obstruction / Q000209:etiology; D009299:Nasal Provocation Tests; D012123:Pulmonary Ventilation; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology