OBJECTIVES: This study was performed to investigate the effects of aging on nasality and the influence of age-related changes in nasal cavity volume and nasal patency on nasality. METHODS: A total of 180 healthy Korean-speaking adult volunteers, who had no nasal or voice-related complaints, were enrolled in this study. Nasometry, acoustic rhinometry, and rhinomanometry were performed to obtain the nasalance score, nasal cavity volume, and nasal resistance, respectively. Changes in these parameters with age were analyzed. RESULTS: Nasal cavity volume increased significantly, and nasal resistance decreased significantly, with age. The nasalance scores for the nasal passage and oronasal passage decreased significantly with age, while there were no age-related changes in nasalance scores for the oral passage. CONCLUSION: Nasalance scores for the passages containing nasal consonants decreased with age although significant increases were observed in nasal cavity volume and nasal patency with age. Therefore, the age-related decreases in nasalance scores may result from factors other than changes in the nasal cavity.
Adult ; Aging ; Humans ; Nasal Cavity ; Rhinomanometry ; Rhinometry, Acoustic ; Voice Quality ; Volunteers

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to compare the nasalance between chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) patients and normal controls and to determine the correlation of nasalance with nasal volume, nasal resistance, CT score, and polyp score in CRS patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study enrolled 150 CRS patients and 154 normal adults. All subjects underwent acoustic rhinometry and rhinomanometry. Nasalance scores were measured with the nasometer. All CRS patients were graded according to the Lund-Mackay CT staging system and the degree of nasal polyp. RESULTS: Nasal volume was decreased and nasal resistance was increased in CRS patients compared with normal controls. However, the nasalance scores for oro-nasal and nasal passages were significantly higher in CRS patients compared with normal controls. In CRS patients, the nasalance score for the nasal passage showed positive correlation with nasal volume and negative correlation with nasal resistance and Lund-Mackay CT score. However, no significant correlation was found between nasalance score and endoscopic polyp score. CONCLUSION: Contrary to expectations, nasalance was increased in CRS patients despite decreased nasal volume and increased nasal resistance. Thus, nasal resonance likely depends on a multitude of factors other than changes in the sinonasal cavity.
Adult ; Humans ; Nasal Cavity ; Nasal Polyps ; Polyps ; Rhinomanometry ; Rhinometry, Acoustic ; Sinusitis ; Voice Quality

OBJECTIVES: The purpose is to investigate effect of septoplasty and widened nasal patency on voice quality. METHODS: Fifty patients who undergone septoplasty were included in the study. Thirty-three people who had similar age and distribution were enrolled as control group. Before and 1 and 3 months after surgery, anterior rhinomanometry, voice analysis by Multi-Dimensional Voice Program, and spectrographic analysis were performed to patients. The recordings of /a/ vowel were used to evaluate average fundamental frequency (F0), jitter percent, and shimmer percent. In spectrographic analyses, F3–F4 values for the vowels /i, e, a, o, and u/, nasal formant frequencies of the consonants /m/ and /n/ in the word /mini/, and 4 formant frequencies (F1, F2, F3, and F4) for nasalized /i/ vowel following a nasal consonant /n/ in the word /mini/ were compared. The differences in nasal resonance were evaluated. All patients were asked whether change in their voices after the surgery. Preoperative and postoperative voice parameters and anterior rhinomanometry results were compared separately with the control group as well as in the patient group itself. RESULTS: Preoperative total nasal resistance (TNR) values of patients were higher than the control group (P=0.001). TNR values of patients measured one day before surgery and after surgery in the 1st and 3rd months were different and these differences were significant statistically (P=0.001). There was no significant difference between the voice analysis parameters in preoperative, postoperative 1st, and 3rd months. As a result of their subjective reviews, 12 patients (36%) noted their voices were better than before surgery and 20 patients (61%) noted no change before and after surgery. CONCLUSION: Providing widened nasal cavity has no effect on voice quality.
Humans ; Nasal Cavity ; Nasal Septum ; Rhinomanometry ; Voice Quality* ; Voice*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to compare the nasality and acoustic variables of control subjects and those of patients with deviated nasal septum (DNS), preoperatively and postoperatively. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Twenty patients who underwent septoturbinoplasty (DNS group) and ten control subjects (control group) who did not complain of nasal obstruction or did not show any anatomic or pathologic abnormality were selected. Performed for these subjects were acoustic rhinometry, rhinomanometry, nasality test and long-term average spectrum analysis of nasal sound sentence. Data were collected and analyzed prior to and 4 weeks after the surgery. RESULTS: In DNS group, the volume of nasal cavity was significantly increased and the nasal resistance was decreased significantly after operation. There were no statistically significant differences in the nasality of all sentences in the DNS group compared to those in the preoperative and the postoperative group. However, alternations of several acoustic variables in the final consonant were detected. CONCLUSION: Alternation of nasality and acoustic variables was observed after septoturbinoplasty, however, the changes of nasal resistance have been shown to contribute to the results.
Acoustics* ; Humans ; Methods ; Nasal Cavity ; Nasal Obstruction ; Nasal Septum ; Rhinomanometry ; Rhinometry, Acoustic ; Spectrum Analysis ; Turbinates ; Voice

BACKGROUND: Severe asthmatics are thought to have severer rhinitis than mild asthmatics. A pale nasal mucosa is a typical clinical finding in subjects with severe allergic rhinitis. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate whether a pale nasal mucosa affects airflow limitations in the upper and lower airways in asthmatic children. METHODS: Rhinomanometry, nasal scraping, and spirometry were performed in 54 asthmatic children (median age, 10 years). The nasal mucosa was evaluated by an otolaryngologist. Thirty-seven patients were treated with inhaled corticosteroids, and 11 patients were treated with intranasal corticosteroids. RESULTS: Subjects with a pale nasal mucosa (n = 23) exhibited a lower nasal airflow (p < 0.05) and a larger number of nasal eosinophils (p < 0.05) in the upper airway as well as lower pulmonary functional parameters (p < 0.05 for all comparisons), i.e., the forced vital capacity (FVC), the forced expiratory volume in 1 second, and the peak expiratory flow, compared with the subjects who exhibited a normal or pinkish mucosa (n = 31). No significant difference in the forced expiratory flow between 25%–75% of the FVC, regarded as indicating the peripheral airway, was observed between the 2 groups. CONCLUSION: A pale nasal mucosa may be a predictor of eosinophil infiltration of the nasal mucosa and central airway limitations in asthmatic children. When allergists observe a pale nasal mucosa in asthmatic children, they should consider the possibility of airflow limitations in not only the upper airway, but also the lower airway.
Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Asthma ; Child ; Eosinophils ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Humans ; Mucous Membrane ; Nasal Mucosa ; Nasal Obstruction ; Rhinitis ; Rhinitis, Allergic ; Rhinomanometry ; Spirometry ; Vital Capacity

BACKGROUND: Perforations in the nasal septum (NSP) give rise not only to disintegration of the septum anatomy but also impairment in normal nasal physiology. The successes of these surgical techniques are usually equated to anatomical closure of the perforation. The goal of this study is to evaluate the subjective and objective results of our surgical technique for septal perforation surgery. METHODS: All NSPs in the six patients were closed by inferior turbinate flap. The Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) instrument was used to evaluate the preoperative and postoperative subjective sensation of nasal obstruction. Measurement of preoperative and postoperative nasal airway resistance was performed using active anterior rhinomanometry which is an objective test. Wilcoxson signed rank test and Spearman correlation test were used to analyze correlation between NOSE scores and rhinomanometric measurements. RESULTS: The full closure of the septal perforations was noted in 100% of patients. The total NOSE score was 14 preoperatively and one postoperatively. The improvement in NOSE scores was statistically significant (P< or =0.002). The mean preoperative total resistance (ResT150) value was 0.13 Pa/cm(3)s(-1), which is below the normal range (0.16-0.31 Pa/cm(3)s(-1)), while the mean postoperative ResT150 value was 0.27 Pa/cm3s-1. The correlation between the improvement in NOSE scores and improvements in ResT150 values was statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical approaches should aim to solve both the anatomical and physiological problems of NSP. The application of subjective and objective tests in the postoperative period will help surgeons assess the applied techniques.
Airway Resistance ; Humans ; Nasal Obstruction ; Nasal Septal Perforation* ; Nasal Septum ; Nose ; Physiology ; Postoperative Period ; Reference Values ; Rhinomanometry ; Sensation ; Symptom Assessment ; Turbinates

OBJECTIVE: To explore the change of nasal ventilation function in a group of SDB patients and its relationship to PSG parameters. METHOD: One hundred twenty-eight controls, 11 habitual snorers, 33 cases of mild-moderate OSAHS and 33 cases of severe OSAHS were examined. NN1 Rhinospirometer was used to measure unilateral nasal respiratory capacity (NC(un)) and bilateral nasal respiratory capacity (NC(bi)), and the nasal partitioning ratio (NPR) can be calculated. NR6 Rhinomanometry was used to measure total nasal inspiratory and expiratory resistance (TNRi, TNRe). A1 acoustic rhinometry was used to measure distances of the two notches to the nostril (MD1, MD2), cross-sectional areas of the two notches (MCA1, MCA2) and nasal volume from 0-5 cm (NV(0-5)). Moreover, make the correlational analysis on different index of nasal functional tests and PSG. RESULT: (1) Significant group differences were shown in NPR (P < 0.01). (2) TNRi and TNRe were statistical different among the groups (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05). (3) There are significant difference on MD1, MCA1, MCA2, NV(0-5) in male, but just on MD1 in female. (4) There was no correlation between PSG parameters and nasal functional parameters in SDB patients. But for certain subgroup analysis in female patients with a body mass index below 25, minimum oxygen saturation correlated significantly with MCA2 (r = 0.688, P < 0.05), arousal index correlated significantly with MCA1 (r = 0.543, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION The nasal anatomical structure and physiological function contribute to the pathogenesis of OSAHS, which may play a larger role in non-obese female patients.
Adult ; Aged ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nose ; physiopathology ; Rhinomanometry ; Rhinometry, Acoustic ; Sleep Apnea Syndromes ; physiopathology ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVES: Rhinomanometry is a widely accepted method for objective assessment of nasal patency. However, few studies have reported the values of otherwise healthy population for nasal resistance in East Asians. The purpose of this study was to measure normal total nasal resistance (TNR) values in a large sample of Korean adults and to reveal parameters contributing to TNR values. METHODS: Subjects were enrolled from a cohort of the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study. They were evaluated by anthropometry, questionnaire, and active anterior rhinomanometry at transnasal pressures of 100 and 150 Pascal (Pa). RESULTS: The study sample consisted of 2,538 healthy subjects (1,298 women and 1,240 men) aged 20 to 80 years. Normal reference TNR values were 0.19+/-0.08 Pa/cm3/second at 100 Pa and 0.22+/-0.09 Pa/cm3/second at 150 Pa. The TNR of women was significantly higher than that of men (P<0.0001). TNR decreased with increasing age in both genders (P<0.05). In women, lower body weight was related to increasing TNR. In men, current smokers had higher TNR than ex-smokers and never smokers. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study provide information regarding the values of otherwise healthy population of TNR and parameters associated with TNR in Korean adults.
Adult ; Aged ; Anthropometry ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Body Weight ; Cohort Studies ; Female ; Genome ; Humans ; Male ; Nasal Obstruction ; Prospective Studies ; Reference Values ; Rhinomanometry ; Smoking ; Surveys and Questionnaires

During the past decades, numerous computational fluid dynamics (CFD) studies, constructed from CT or MRI images, have simulated human nasal models. As compared to rhinomanometry and acoustic rhinometry, which provide quantitative information only of nasal airflow, resistance, and cross sectional areas, CFD enables additional measurements of airflow passing through the nasal cavity that help visualize the physiologic impact of alterations in intranasal structures. Therefore, it becomes possible to quantitatively measure, and visually appreciate, the airflow pattern (laminar or turbulent), velocity, pressure, wall shear stress, particle deposition, and temperature changes at different flow rates, in different parts of the nasal cavity. The effects of both existing anatomical factors, as well as post-operative changes, can be assessed. With recent improvements in CFD technology and computing power, there is a promising future for CFD to become a useful tool in planning, predicting, and evaluating outcomes of nasal surgery. This review discusses the possibilities and potential impacts, as well as technical limitations, of using CFD simulation to better understand nasal airflow physiology.
Humans ; Hydrodynamics ; Nasal Cavity ; Nasal Surgical Procedures ; Nose ; Rhinomanometry ; Rhinometry, Acoustic

OBJECTIVE: To obtain the normal values of acoustic rhinometry and rhinomanometry parameters of normal adult and analyze the correlation of two measurement results between rhinomanometry and acoustic rhinometry. METHOD: Eighty-two normal adults were recruited in our research. Acoustic rhinometry was used to acquire unilateral area of first constriction (UA1), unilateral area of second of constriction (UA2), unilateral minimum cross-sectional area (UMCA), unilateral nasal volume 0-5 cm, 2-5 cm (UV5, UV2-5), and rhinomanometer was used to measure the effective unilateral and total nasal resistances in inspiration, expiration at 150 Pa or Broms (radius is 200 Pa) (UR(ins150), UR(ins200), UR(exp150), UR(exp200), TR(ins150), TR(ins200), TR(exp150), TR(exp200)). RESULT: UA1 was (0.63 +/- 0.14) cm2 for male, (0.60 +/- 0.14) cm2 for female; UA2 was (0.72 +/- 0.48) cm2 for male, (0.6 +/- 0.4) cm2 for female; UMCA was (0.50 +/- 0.16) cm2 for male, (0.47 +/- 0.18) cm2 for female; UV5 was (5.68 +/- 1.73) cm3 for male, (5.16 +/- 1.85) cm3 for female; UV2-5 was (4.13 +/- 1.56) cm3 for male, (3.83 +/- 1.66) cm3 for female. No statistical significance was found between men and women (T = 0.093, 0.134, 0.392, 0.408, P > 0.05). UR(ins150) was (0.86 +/- 0.96) Pa/(cm3 x s); UR(ins200) was (0.45 +/- 0.61) Pa/(cm3 x s); UR(exp150) was (0.83 +/- 0.71) Pa/(cm3 x s); UR exp200 was (0.52 +/- 0.88) Pa/(cm3 x s); TR(ins150) was (0.38 +/- 0.34) Pa/(cm3 x s); TR(ins200) was (0.18 +/- 0.24) Pa/ (cm3 x s); TRp(exp150) was (0.38 +/- 0.27) Pa/(cm3 x s); TR(exp200) was (0.19 +/- 0. 24) Pa/(cm3 x s). There was significant correlation between UR(ins150), UR(exp150), TR(ins150), TR(exp150 and UMCA, UV5, UV2 - 5 (P < 0.05, respectively). CONCLUSION There was correlation between acoustic rhinometry and rhinomanometry. The results of this study can be used as a valuable reference to judge nasal cavity condition of normal adult.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Airway Resistance ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nasal Cavity ; physiology ; Reference Values ; Rhinomanometry ; Rhinometry, Acoustic ; Young Adult