Original ArticleForced Inspiratory Nasal Flow-Volume Curves: A Simple Test of Nasal Airflow
Section snippets
PATIENTS AND METHODS
Initially, techniques for performing nasal flow-volume curves were practiced on me and on a pulmonary technician until a suitable method was established. Once the technique was established, FINFV curves were performed on individuals recruited from patients and staff of a private practice pulmonary medicine office. Study participants included those with and those without nasal symptoms. The presence or absence of nasal symptoms was recorded. Participants were asked if they were currently having
RESULTS
The 68 study participants consisted of 45 men and 23 women ranging in age from 22 to 87 years (mean, 53.9 years); 58 were patients, and 10 were staff members. No nasal symptoms were reported by 18 participants, whereas 50 had active complaints. Therefore, 68 FINFV curves formed the basis of this report.
The separation of participants by the definitions used resulted in 14 (21%) who met the definition of normal, 39 (57%) who met the definition of abnormal, and 15 (22%) who did not meet either
DISCUSSION
Although symptoms of nasal obstruction are common in medical practice, clinical techniques to measure nasal airflow are limited.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 The FINFV curve, as demonstrated in this article, has the potential to be a useful tool to measure nasal airflow. Normal and abnormal flow patterns are recognizable, and the technique is easy to perform.
In an attempt to establish a routine technique for nasal flow-volume curves, I noticed that both subjects and technicians preferred the forced
CONCLUSIONS
The FINFV curve can be a valuable technique for evaluating the nasal airway for obstruction. It is easy to perform and well tolerated. Use of the technique requires a full understanding of the mechanisms of inspiratory flow because both reduced effort and reduced respiratory ability can affect the results. The technique requires repeated efforts to ensure reproducibility and should be performed with an oral flow-volume loop. Although work remains to be done to refine the technique, to establish
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