Rhinomanometry. III. Procedures and criteria for distinction between skeletal stenosis and mucosal swelling.

Recently developed methods for recording of the pressure-flow relationship of the nose and derivation of data for describing the resistance to the flow through the nose were used in an effort to distinguish between skeletal stenosis and mucosal swelling. It was not possible to define an upper normal limit of the resistance of nasal cavities at rest because of the heart rate above 150/min was found to decongest the mucosa better than nose drops. An upper normal limit of resistance varying with body height was defined for nasal cavities and for the total nose after exercise. The reproducibility of data obtained after decongestion was good in patients with and without skeletal stenosis.