Rhinoscintigraphy: a simple radioisotope technique to study the mucociliary system.
OBJECTIVE
This was a radioisotope study of nasal mucociliary clearance of total and subtotal nasal obstruction.


METHODS
Rhinoscintigraphy was performed by insufflating 1.85 MBq (69 mCi) Tc-99m MAA in 20 patients. Six cases were regarded as the control group, because the presence of small spurs does not affect nasal patency. The remaining 14 patients had various rhinopathic conditions. Two regions of interest were selected, one in the nasal cavity and one in the pharynx. Mucociliary transport speed was calculated.


RESULTS
This parameter appeared to be a sensitive index for the assessment of the degree of mucociliary alteration. It showed that polyposis impairs mucociliary transport most severely, thus confirming the results of other published studies.


CONCLUSIONS
Rhinoscintigraphy proved to be a reliable, easily reproducible, and harmless method, so it may be used for follow-up examinations in patients who have had surgery of the nose and paranasal sinuses, and for drug therapy of rhinopathic conditions.
Di Giuda
D
D
Nuclear Medicine Institute, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy.
Galli
J
J
Calcagni
M L
ML
Corina
L
L
Paludetti
G
G
Ottaviani
F
F
De Rossi
G
G
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009079:Mucociliary Clearance / Q000502:physiology*; D015508:Nasal Obstruction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D009298:Nasal Polyps / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013668:Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D013668:Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin