General Medical Information

Evaluation Of The Nasal Airway

Thomas V. Mccaffrey

Evaluation of an obstructed nasal airway requires accurate information about the anatomic and functional abnormalities producing the symptom of obstruction. With an accurate knowledge of the anatomic abnormality and its functional consequences, a plan of treatment based on an understanding of the effects of surgery on the airway can be formulated. In the past, technical difficulties limited the use of tests of nasal function; however, methods have been devised to quantify nasal respiratory function. The oldest and most widely used technique is rhinomanometry. Rhinomanometry is used to measure the pressure needed to produce airflow through the nasal airway. Various methods have been used to measure respiratory nasal airflow for at least a century. Because rhinomanometry does not measure the location of nasal obstruction, it can be of limited use clinically. The newer technique of acoustic rhinometry shows promise in providing a measure of the cross-sectional area of the airway at various points. This is accomplished by means of analysis of sound pulses reflected by the nasal airway.