RHINOSTEREOMETRY AND LASER-DOPPLER FLOWMETRY IN HUMAN NASAL-MUCOSA - CHANGES IN CONGESTION AND MICROCIRCULATION DURING INTRANASAL HISTAMINECHALLENGE

The nasal mucosa of 10 healthy volunteers was studied with the combina tion of rhinostereometry and laser Doppler flowmetry during a challeng e with 0.14 mi histamine dihydrochloride in stepwise increasing concen trations of 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, 8.0 and 16.0 mg/ml. Five and 10 min af ter each challenge the degree of congestion and the microcirculatory p arameters perfusion, velocity of flow and concentration of moving bloo d cells were recorded. A complex reaction pattern was seen. It was pos sible to measure simultaneously the degree of congestion and the micro circulatory parameters. With this combination of methods, it seemed po ssible to identify the effects of histamine on the different component s of the nasal mucosa. The combination of the two methods appears to m ake possible detailed studies of the relationship between changes in c ongestion and microcirculation during intranasal challenges in humans.