Objective: To discuss the clinical application of Ephedrine Test in acoustic rhinometry, we studied the method of quantitative evaluation for nasal mucosal state and discriminated the objective parameters between simple rhinitis and hypertrophic rhinitis.
Method: Nasal cavity of volunteers from normal, simple and hypertrophic rhinitis patients were tested by acoustic rhinometry, the Nasal Airway Resistance (NAR), Nasal Cavity Volume (NCV), Nasal Minimal Cross-section Area (NMCA) and Distance of the minimal Cross-sectional Area from the Nostril (DCAN), their difference value and variational rate of pre or post Ephedrine Test were analyzed and compared.
Result: The paired-samples data of pre-post Nasal Ephedrine Test showed that NAR, NCV, NMCA and DCAN had extremely significant difference (P < 0.01). NCV and NMCA had increased, NAR had reduced and DCAN had "shifted forward" after Ephedrine Test. All the parameters had extremely difference (P < 0.01) among multi-group at pre or post Ephedrine Test. Only NCV had significant difference before Ephedrine Test (P < 0.05). However, after Ephedrine Test, all of the parameters (include difference value and variational rate) had significant difference (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01) between simple and hypertrophic rhinitis patients. Compared with volunteers of normal nasal cavity: all of the parameters (include difference value and variational rate) had significant difference (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01) in simple rhinitis patients, but some of the parameters of their difference and variational rate had not significant in hypertrophic rhinitis patients.
Conclusion: The acoustic rhinometry test can objectively estimate the state of nasal mucosal and get more information combine with Ephedrine Test. It can expand the clinical application of acoustic rhinometry and is worth while recommending.