title: In vivo measurement of human nasal mucociliary motility using a laser light scattering instrument.
abstract: The mucociliary system is one of the most important airway defense mechanisms, and knowledge of the mucociliary wave frequency (MWF) is important in the understanding of this system. Employing a laser light scattering technique and a thin, flexible fiberoptic probe, we developed and tested a simple and practical device for real-time in vivo measurements of mucociliary activity in the human nose. The laser instrument is user-friendly and does not produce any discomfort to the patient. The mean +/- SE of MWF of 36 measurements in 16 normal subjects was 7.7 +/- 0.5 Hz. The mean MWF of 17 measurements in 7 patients with allergic rhinitis was 5.5 +/- 0.2 Hz (p < .005), and the mean MWF of 56 measurements in 17 patients with septum deviation was 5.8 +/- 0.2 Hz (p < .001). The instrument presented in this study might provide a new and convenient method of studying the mucociliary activity in the respiratory tract.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Bnai-Zion Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Paltieli
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fradis
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ben-David
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Podoshin
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shiti
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kam
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002923:Cilia / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007834:Lasers; D008027:Light; D009297:Nasal Mucosa; D009300:Nasal Septum / Q000002:abnormalities*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted