CLINICAL AND ULTRASTRUCTURAL CORRELATIONS IN NASAL MUCOCILIARY FUNCTION OBSERVED IN CHILDREN WITH RECURRENT AIRWAYS INFECTIONS

A study was made of 106 children between 1 and 15 years of age (mean 6 years) with recurrent upper and lower airways infections since birth; Nasal mucociliary transport (NMT) velocity was determined in all subj ects by the Tc99m-labeled seroalbumin technique. In 42 children, NMT w as found to be altered. In this group of patients the technique was re peated in a period of between 1 and 2 years later. In 23 cases (55%) t ransport had normalized, while in 19 (45%) it remained altered, Recurr ent pneumonia and constant rhinorrhea were more frequent in this group . Situs inversus was only detected in 2 of these patients. Pathology s howed ciliary ultrastructure, the absence of dynein arms and microtubu le alterations. The absence of cilia was observed in some patients, No rmal cilia were also encountered in children with persistently altered nasal mucociliary transport.