title: Correlation between acoustic rhinometry and subjective nasal patency during nasal challenge test in subjects with suspected occupational rhinitis; a prospective controlled study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the correlation between acoustic rhinometry and visual analogue scale endpoints in the context of nasal challenge with occupational agents.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective controlled study.
  
  
  METHODS
  University teaching hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-seven subjects with a history of work-related rhinitis and asthma symptoms.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects underwent nasal challenge with control and specific agent on consecutive days. Nasal congestive response to challenge was monitored by acoustic rhinometry and visual analogue scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results showed no correlation between visual analogue scale and acoustic rhinometry measurements at baseline on the control (r=-0.13, P=0.3) and active (r=0.14, P=0.2) challenge days. No correlation was found between acoustic rhinometry and visual analogue scale when analysing all measurements obtained at all times after challenge with the control and active agent (control: r=0.09, P=0.04; active: r=0.001, P=0.9). The correlation between acoustic rhinometry and visual analogue scale was good and significant (r=-0.62, P=<0.01) when the analysis was restricted to cases showing a decrease in nasal volume>40% from baseline values.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We showed that the correlation between acoustic rhinometry and subjective nasal patency was poor on steady conditions. However, a significant correlation was observed in those cases showing a greater nasal congestive response after challenge measured by acoustic rhinometry.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology, Research Centre, Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada. roberto.castano@mail.mcgill.ca
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Castano
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Trudeau
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ghezzo
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D009299:Nasal Provocation Tests / Q000379:methods*; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D023842:Rhinometry, Acoustic / Q000379:methods*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index