Evaluation of the effect of nasal dorsal skin cooling on nasal mucosa by acoustic rhinometry.
BACKGROUND
The use of cold nasal packs on the nose and nape of the neck is currently recommended for patients with epistaxis as this is thought to induce reflex nasal vasoconstriction, which decreases the bleeding. There have been a few investigations on the effect of cold compress application to the nose, but none of these focused specifically on nasal cooling of the skin of the nose.


METHODS
Acoustic rhinometry was performed to obtain baseline measurements. Nasal dorsal skin was then cooled with two ice packs that were held on the left and right side of the nose for a total of 10 minutes by the subjects. The rhinometry measurements were taken at the time of initial application (baseline), and after 5 and 10 minutes of ice pack application.


RESULTS
Comparisons of the first and second minimal cross-sectional area values, and total nasal cavity volume measurements revealed no statistical differences.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of this study indicate that one should be sceptical about the efficiency of cold compress application, which is frequently used in clinical practice in cases with epistaxis.
Department of Otorhinolaryngology,Kocaeli University Faculty of Medicine,Turkey.
M
M
Ozturk
Department of Otorhinolaryngology,Kocaeli University Faculty of Medicine,Turkey.
F
F
Mutlu
Department of Otorhinolaryngology,Kocaeli University Faculty of Medicine,Turkey.
A
A
Kara
Department of Otorhinolaryngology,Mugla University Faculty of Medicine,Turkey.
S
S
Derin
Department of Otorhinolaryngology,Kocaeli University Faculty of Medicine,Turkey.
M
M
Topdag
D000328:Adult; D003080:Cold Temperature; D004844:Epistaxis / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009296:Nasal Cavity / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000098:blood supply / Q000502:physiology; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000098:blood supply / Q000502:physiology*; D009666:Nose / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D023842:Rhinometry, Acoustic / Q000379:methods*; D012881:Skin Temperature / Q000502:physiology*