Postech-Catholic Biomedical Engineering Institute, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Republic of Korea.
Department of Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
Medicina (Kaunas). 2024 Sep 24;60(10):1559. doi: 10.3390/medicina60101559.
Empty nose syndrome (ENS) is a debilitating condition that often results from traumatic or iatrogenic causes, such as nasal surgery. There are various conservative and surgical treatments for ENS, but their effectiveness remains uncertain. Therefore, the development of animal models that accurately mimic human ENS is essential for advancing effective treatment strategies. To investigate ENS development, turbinoplasty was performed in the nasal cavity of swine, entailing partial removal of the ventral turbinate using turbinectomy scissors followed by electrocauterization. After 56 days, samples were obtained for histological and morphological analyses. A significant reduction in the volume of the ventral turbinate in the ENS model led to an expansion of the nasal cavity. Histological analysis revealed mucosal epithelial changes similar to those observed in ENS patients, including squamous cell metaplasia, goblet cell metaplasia, submucosal fibrosis, and glandular atrophy. Biomarkers related to these histopathological features were identified, and signals potentially contributing to squamous cell metaplasia were elucidated. The swine ENS model is anticipated to be instrumental in unraveling the pathogenesis of ENS and may also be useful for evaluating the effectiveness of various treatments for ENS.
空鼻综合征（ENS）是一种使人虚弱的病症，通常由创伤或医源性原因引起，如鼻手术。ENS 有各种保守和手术治疗方法，但它们的疗效仍不确定。因此，开发能准确模拟人类 ENS 的动物模型对于推进有效的治疗策略至关重要。为了研究 ENS 的发展，在猪的鼻腔中进行了鼻甲切除术，使用鼻甲切除术剪刀部分切除下鼻甲，然后用电烙进行烧灼。56 天后，获得样本进行组织学和形态学分析。ENS 模型中腹侧鼻甲体积的显著减少导致鼻腔扩张。组织学分析显示粘膜上皮发生变化，类似于 ENS 患者的变化，包括鳞状细胞化生、杯状细胞化生、粘膜下纤维化和腺体萎缩。确定了与这些组织病理学特征相关的生物标志物，并阐明了可能导致鳞状细胞化生的信号。猪 ENS 模型有望阐明 ENS 的发病机制，也可能有助于评估各种 ENS 治疗方法的有效性。
