title: Collection of nasal secretions for immunological analysis.
abstract: The biochemical analysis of nasal secretions has become essential in the study of nasal or sinus diseases and the monitoring of medical and surgical treatment. The nasal fluid greatly reflects the inflammatory activity within the nasal mucosa. This paper discusses techniques for nasal fluid collection described before and proposes a new approach for the collection and calculation of nasal secretions based on sinus packs. The method is non-invasive, well standardized and reproducible and therefore may serve as a valid tool for future investigations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium. jeanbaptiste.watelet@rug.ac.be
authors.forename: Jean-Baptiste
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Watelet
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gevaert
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Holtappels
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Van Cauwenberge
authors.forename: Claus
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bachert
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018928:Immunity, Mucosal; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017817:Nasal Lavage Fluid / Q000276:immunology*; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D009298:Nasal Polyps / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D009299:Nasal Provocation Tests / Q000379:methods*; D010256:Paranasal Sinuses / Q000378:metabolism; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013048:Specimen Handling