Cankurtaran Mehmet, Celik Huseyin, Cakmak Ozcan, Ozluoglu Levent Naci
Hacettepe University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Physics, 06532 Beytepe, Ankara, Turkey.
J Appl Physiol (1985). 2003 Jun;94(6):2166-72. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.01146.2002. Epub 2003 Feb 14.
The influence of nasal valve on acoustic rhinometry (AR) measurements was evaluated by using simple nasal cavity models. Each model consisted of a cylindrical pipe with an insert simulating the nasal valve. The AR-determined cross-sectional areas beyond the insert were consistently underestimated, and the corresponding area-distance curves showed pronounced oscillations. The area underestimation was more pronounced in models with inserts of small passage area. The experimental results are discussed in terms of theoretically calculated "sound-power reflection coefficients" for the pipe models. The reason for area underestimation is reflection of most of the incident sound power from the barrier at the front junction between the pipe and the insert. It was also demonstrated that the oscillations are due to low-frequency acoustic resonances in the portion of the pipe beyond the insert. The results suggest that AR does not provide reliable information about the cross-sectional areas of the nasal cavity posterior to a significant constriction, such as pathologies narrowing the nasal valve area. When the passage area of the nasal valve is decreased, the role of AR as a diagnostic tool for the entire nasal cavity becomes limited.
通过使用简单的鼻腔模型评估鼻瓣对鼻声反射（AR）测量的影响。每个模型由一个带有模拟鼻瓣插入物的圆柱形管道组成。AR测定的插入物后方的横截面积一直被低估，并且相应的面积-距离曲线显示出明显的振荡。在具有小通道面积插入物的模型中，面积低估更为明显。根据管道模型的理论计算“声功率反射系数”对实验结果进行了讨论。面积低估的原因是大部分入射声功率在管道与插入物之间的前部连接处被障碍物反射。还证明了振荡是由于插入物后方管道部分的低频声共振引起的。结果表明，对于明显狭窄（如使鼻瓣区域变窄的病变）后方的鼻腔横截面积，AR不能提供可靠信息。当鼻瓣的通道面积减小时，AR作为整个鼻腔诊断工具的作用变得有限。
