Can the Nasal Schirmer Test be Used as a Topographic Test in Facial Paralysis Patients?

Abstract

Objective:Mucociliary clearance is an important defense mechanism of the respiratory system. One of the main factors determining mucociliary clearance is the ciliary activity of the respiratory epithelium. The amount of nasal secretion can be easily determined by the recently used nasal Schirmer test. The aim of this study was to investigate the amount of nasal secretion in patients with facial paralysis.Methods:A total of 50 patients with unilateral facial paralysis were included in the study. Eye and nasal Schirmer test were applied to the patients. The eye Schirmer test results were calculated after 5 minutes and the nasal Schirmer test results were calculated after 10 minutes, in millimeters according to the amount of wetting of the test papers. Schirmer test results of paralyzed and nonparalyzed sides were compared with each other.Results:The mean paralytic and non-paralytic side eye Schirmer test values of the patients with facial paralysis were 11.14±4.80 and 19.54±4.01, respectively. Mean paralytic and non-paralytic side nasal Schirmer test values were 10.92±4.82 and 20.54±4.31, respectively. Eye and nasal Schirmer test values of the paralytic side were significantly lower than the non-paralytic side (p0.05).Conclusion:In this study, the amount of nasal secretion on the paralysis side of the patients with unilateral facial paralysis was lower than the contralateral side. Further studies are needed to determine whether decreased secretion improves in long-term follow-up and the prognostic significance of nasal dryness in facial paralysis.

Keywords

• facial paralysis
• intranasal schirmer test
• nasal secretion