Ciliary beating frequency in chronic sinusitis.

Ciliary beating frequency, one component of mucociliary function, was measured outside of the sinus in vitro with a photoelectric method in 150 patients with chronic sinusitis and in 26 control subjects. In the mucosal samples of 35 patients (23%), no ciliary activity was seen. Ciliary beating frequency in maxillary sinus mucosa of the rest of the 115 patients (77%) was, as an average, 16.6 +/- 3.0 Hz (range, 10.9 to 23.3 Hz) and it was 15.9 +/- 2.6 Hz (range, 13.2 to 22.8 Hz) for the control patients. No differences in ciliary beating frequency were found according to quality of sinus secretion, prevalent respiratory allergy, or mucosal thickness. However, in sinuses with purulent secretion, ciliary beating frequency was slightly better (P < .05) than in "empty" sinuses. The study suggests that in many cases of chronic sinusitis, the sinus mucosa still has a capacity to recure.