Nasal vestibule wall elasticity: interactions with a nasal dilator strip.
We studied the effect of an adhesive external nasal dilator strip (ENDS) on external nasal geometry in 20 healthy Caucasian adults (10 men, 10 women; age 21-45 yr). The recoil force exerted by ENDS was estimated by bending the device (n = 10) with known weights. In the horizontal direction, a small/medium-sized ENDS in situ exerted a unilateral recoil force of 21.4-22.6 g. Application of ENDS resulted in a displacement of the lateral nasal vestibule walls that had both anterosuperior and horizontal components and that was maintained over an 8-h period. The resultant unilateral nasal vestibule wall displacement at the tip of the device was at 47.6 +/- 2.0 degrees to the horizontal (as related to the plane of the device when in situ) and had a magnitude of 3.5 +/- 0.1 mm. ENDS increased external nasal cross-sectional area by 23.0-65.3 mm2. Nasal vestibule wall compliance was estimated at 0.05-0.16 mm/g. Thus ENDS applies a relatively constant abducting force irrespective of nasal width. Variable responsiveness to ENDS may be related to differences in elastic properties of the nasal vestibule wall.
Amis
T C
TC
Department of Respiratory Medicine, Westmead Hospital, and University of Sydney, Westmead, New South Wales 2145, Australia. terencea@westgate.wh.usyd.edu.au
Kirkness
J P
JP
di Somma
E
E
Wheatley
J R
JR
D000328:Adult; D003187:Compliance; D004548:Elasticity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009296:Nasal Cavity / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology; D014722:Vestibule, Labyrinth / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology