[Diagnosis and pathogenetic aspects of the Kartagener syndrome based on nasal mucosa biopsies].

Nasal mucosa biopsies were taken from a child with Kartagener's syndrome. The biopsies were prepared for light and electron microscopic examination. Unfixed cryocut sections were stained with the magnesium-activated ATPase reaction. There was a partial loss of the dynein arms within the cilia. Many compound cilia were present and, sometimes, defects of the mitochondria of the lining epithelial cells as well as the glandular cells were observed. Histochemically the ATPase reaction was at first completely negative and sometime later it was greatly reduced within the lining and the glandular epithelial cells, especially in the apical border. Biopsies from children with cystic fibrosis and allergic rhinitis served as controls.