Relationships among nasal resistance, age and anthropometric parameters of the nose during growth

Abstract

Background: Children generally have a higher nasal resistance than adults. Growth changes the size and different anthropometric parameters of the nose. Logarithmic effective resistance and logarithmic vertex resistance were introduced as physically correct parameters for nasal obstruction. The previously published classification of obstruction derived from 36,500 measurements is missing data for patients aged 7 to 19 years. Methodology: Rhinomanometry was performed before and after decongestion with 9 different anthropometric measurements in 225 children and adolescents. Correlations among age, anthropometric measurements, and logarithmic effective and vertex resistance were determined for both sexes, and regressions were calculated. Results: The highest correlations with the resistance values were found between age, lateral nasal length, and logarithmic effective resistance. A highly significant linear regression between age and logarithmic effective resistance was also found. This was used for adaption of the classification of obstruction in adults to growing patients. The resistance of the nasal airways at the age of 7 years was about twice that in adults. Conclusions: The linear regression equations can be used to suborder obstructions measured by four-phase rhinomanometry into classes for estimation of their severity according to age.

Keywords

• nasal obstruction
• 4-phase rhinomanometry
• classification
• growing age