The role of rhinoscintigraphy in the evaluation of nasal mucociliary clearance function in patients with sinusitis.

Nasal mucociliary clearance is one of the homeostatic systems of the respiratory mucosa. Various rhinopathic conditions may involve alterations in nasal mucociliary clearance. The aim of this study was to assess the clinical role of rhinoscintigraphy in the evaluation of nasal mucociliary clearance function of sinusitis patients in comparison with a healthy control group. A single droplet of 99Tcm-labelled macroaggregated albumin (99Tcm-MAA) was deposited on the floor of the nasal meatus about 1 cm behind the mucocutaneous junction, and its course was followed with a gamma camera. The nasal mucociliary clearance was presented as the velocity (mm x min(-1)) of nasal mucociliary transport of the 99Tcm-MAA droplet. A significant difference in nasal mucociliary clearance was observed between the two groups, with a mean of 4.28+/-1.38 mm x min(-1) (4.3+/-1.35 mm x min(-1) in the right nostril, 4.27+/-1.42 mm x min(-1) in the left nostril) for the controls; and 1.8+/-0.64 mm x min(-1) (1.79+/-0.65 mm x min(-1) in the right nostril, 1.82+/-0.63 mm x min(-1) in the left nostril) for the patients with sinusitis. Rhinoscintigraphy is a safe, easy, quick and reliable imaging method for evaluating the ciliary activity of nasal mucosa and the nasal mucociliary clearance function in patients with sinusitis.