Ciliary abnormalities in children (hockey-stick cilia). Study by scanning electron microscope. Report on three paediatric cases.

The authors report three cases of patients suffering from repeated infection of the upper and lower respiratory tracts. Mucociliary clearance, measured in the nasal fossae by coloured indicators, is reduced. Both transmission and scanning electronic ultramicroscopic study of the vibratile cilia show a morphological malformation of "hockey-stick" appearance, while the structure of the exonemal microtubular apparatus is normal and complete. This morphological ciliary abnormality is held to be responsible for the respiratory pathology in the three cases observed.