Physiological Standards of Acoustic Rhinometry in Suez Canal Area

Abstract

Acoustic Rhinometry (AR) measures the relationship of the cross-sectional area and the distance into the nasal cavity. Great efforts have been done to validate and standardize its clinical use. Inspite of many researches done in Egypt by AR, there are no normal National Egyptian Physiological gold standards of MCA, DMCA and NCV like many other countries. This study was carried out to establish local reference values for AR parameters in healthy normal adults. One hundred and thirty healthy volunteer students of the Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University in the age range from 18 to 24 years, who were free from any nasal problems by history and examination, were subjected to AR testing in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Suez Canal University Hospital. The AR parameters before decongestant were: mean mMCA was 0.58 ± 0.15 cm2with a range 0.27- 1.00 cm2, the mean mDMCA was 1.92 ± 0.16 cm with a range 1.62- 2.34 cm, and the mean total NCV was 12.68 ± 3.35 cm3 and ranges from 5.11 to 21.97 cm3. The AR parameters after decongestant was: mean mMCA was 0.60 ± 0.14 cm2with a range 0.31- 1.14 cm2, the mean mDMCA was 1.90 ± 0.16 cm with a range 1.50- 2.46 cm, and the mean total NCV was 13.32 ± 3.79 cm3 and ranges from 5.46 to 26.41 cm3. It was found that the difference between males and females in the three AR parameters was statistically significant before and after decongestion. Also, it was found that there were weak positive significant correlations between the three AR parameters and height, weight and age before and after decongestion. In this study, it was found that there were insignificant relations between the AR parameters and the sensation of nasal cycle and the phases of menstrual cycle, but there was a significant relation between the AR parameters and the performance of sport activity, so other researches are needed to study the effect of nasal cycle, hormonal changes, sport activity, effect of nasal infections and pulmonary functions on the AR parameters.