CILIARY BEATING FREQUENCY IN CHRONIC SINUSITIS

Ciliary beating frequency, one component of mucociliary function, was measured outside of the sinus in vitro with a photoelectric method in 150 patients with chronic sinusitis and in 26 control subjects. In the mucosal samples of 35 patients (23%), no ciliary activity was seen. C iliary beating frequency in maxillary sinus mucosa of the rest of the 115 patients (77%) was, as an average, 16.6+/-3.0 Hz (range, 10.9 to 2 3.3 Hz) and it was 15.9+/-2.6 Hz (range, 13.2 to 22.8 Hz) for the cont rol patients. No differences in ciliary beating frequency were found a ccording to quality of sinus secretion, prevalent respiratory allergy, or mucosal thickness. However, in sinuses with purulent secretion, ci liary beating frequency was slightly better (P<.05) than in ''empty'' sinuses. The study suggests that in many cases of chronic sinusitis, t he sinus mucosa still has a capacity to recure.