Nasal cycle in children.

With the passive anterior rhinomanometry technique, it was shown that children aged 3 to 6 years did not have an alternating nasal cycle. However, during a 61/4-hour period, there was a quite regular pattern of fluctuations of the nasal resistance. Important fluctuations of the nasal resistance in the left and right nasal cavity are happening in the same sense; we could call it "solidary movements" or "solidary cycle." This means that the total nasal resistance in these children is not at all constant during the day. The mean duration of such a "cycle" is 57 minutes, and the mean amplitude is 16.0 mm H2O for the left and right nasal cavity and 6.5 mm H2O for the total nasal resistance.