General Medical Information

Vascular Control of Resistance

Thomas V. Mccaffrey

The other major factor controlling nasal resistance is the state of vascular congestion of the nasal mucosa. Because the nasal airway is a rigid bony cavity, changes in the volume of the nasal mucosa can effectively alter the dimensions of the nasal airway. This fact is obvious with the severe nasal obstruction that result from congestion of the nasal mucosa during upper respiratory tract infection. Besides pathologic alterations in the nasal airway with disease, there is physiologic variability in the nasal airway as a result of vascular changes.