SWELLING AND SHRINKAGE OF THE NASAL MUCOSA MEASURED BY ACOUSTIC RHINOMETRY

声学鼻测量法沿着平行于鼻底和鼻中隔的轴线测量鼻腔在每一预定距离上的横截面积。利用FFT（快速傅立叶变换）可以从入射声波和反射声波中描绘出面积-距离曲线。鼻腔除前庭外的长度分为三部分。应用血管活性药物前后，通过对前、中、后三部分的数学积分来比较各部分的体积。氧苄唑啉和苯肾上腺素直接影响受体，使鼻黏膜收缩。这种反应几乎完全被它们的拮抗剂预处理阻断。由于育亨宾对肾上腺素的抑制作用，应用肾上腺素后出现的晚期肿胀被认为是alpha_2诱导的。在组胺或白三烯溶液或过敏原提取物中浸泡的椎间盘附着后，同样观察到肿胀。由于粘膜肿胀导致的空气空间减少是公认的，但由于太不稳定而无法了解其机制。采用多个丙烯酸板组成的圆柱形模型，在中心有不同大小的孔，研究了鼻腔通畅与横截面积的关系。由面积-距离曲线构建的模型在鼻道学上明显优于原鼻腔。得出了尺寸连续变化的圆柱体的气流阻力会受到各种气动因素的影响。

Acoustic rhinometry measures cross-sectional areas of the nasal cavity at every predetermined distance along the axis parallel to the nasal floor and septum. An area-distance curve can be depicted using FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) from incident and reflected sound waves. The length of the nesal cavity excluding the vestibulum is divided into three parts. Comparison of the volume of each part was accomplished by mathematical integration of anterior, middle and posterior parts before and after application of the vasoactive agents.Oxymetazoline and phenylephrine directly affected the receptors and shrank the nasal mucosa. This reaction was almost completely blocked by pretreatment of their antagonists. Late swelling observed after application of epinephrine was considered to be alpha_2-induced because of its inhibition by yohimbine. Swelling was similarly observed after attachment of a disc soaked in histamine or leukotriene solution or allergen extracts. Decreased air space due to swollen mucosa was rcognized but was too unstable to understand its mechanism.Relationships between nasal patency and cross-sectional area were examined by cylindrical model consisting of plural acrylic plates with a variously sized hole in the center. Patency of a model constructed from an area-distance curve was rhinomanometrically much better than that of the original nasal cavity. It was concluded that airflow resistance of a cylinder with continuously changing dimensions was modified by various aerodynamic factors.