Assessment of nasal obstruction. A comparison between rhinomanometry and nasal inspiratory peak flow.

In several conditions objective assessment of nasal obstruction would be of great value. In this study we have compared two different methods for this purpose. Anterior rhinomanometry is a well established method, which measures nasal airway resistance (NAR). This was compared with nasal inspiratory peak flow (NIPF) measured with a Youlten peak flow meter. The assessments were undertaken in patients with allergic rhinitis, before and after challenge with hyperosmolar saline solution. After challenge there was a fall in NIPF value as a mean of 17.4%, that was mirrored by a rise in NAR of 15.6%. There was also a statistically significant negative linear correlation between these two methods (p less than 0.01). We conclude that NIPF is a cheap, easily performed and quick method suitable for assessing nasal airway patency in e.g. allergics during treatment and during challenge.