title: Measurements of normal nasal airway assessed by 3-dimensional computed tomography in Chinese children and adolescents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To establish normative data of nasal airway dimensions in Chinese children and adolescents by age and sex.
  
  
  METHODS
  CT images of 281 Chinese children and adolescents (140 girls and 141 boys) aged from 6 to 18 years (yr) were selected among the patients who visited in Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital from September 2009 to August 2010. Subjects were divided into four age groups as group 1 (6-9 yr), group 2 (10-12 yr), group 3 (13-15 yr), and group 4 (16-18 yr). Child was defined as 6-12 yr, and adolescent as 13-18 yr. Nasal parameters were as follow: nasal volume (NV), length of nasal airway (NL), minimal cross-section area (CSA 1) and its location (D 1), inferior turbinate head's location (D 2) and its airway cross-section area (CSA 2), and cross-sectional area of choanal (CSA 3).
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no significant sex dimorphism in nasal parameters in children (group 1 and group 2). In adolescents, male's nasal dimension were larger than female's. CSA 1, D 1, CSA 2, CSA 3, NL and NV correlated with age in male and female respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Volume, length and cross-section area of nasal airway were correlated with age in Chinese children and adolescents aged from 6 to 18 yr. In children, nasal conformations of male and female are similar. In adolescents, sex dimorphisms in nasal parameters were significant.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, College of Stomatology, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xiao-Feng
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Hui-Min
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dai
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D044466:Asian People; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D009666:Nose / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D012737:Sex Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods