Allergic nasal hyperreactivity is a common problem and many patients s
uffer from daily symptoms. Rhinomanometry is so far the only well esta
blished clinical method for objective assessment of nasal patency, alt
hough several expressions of nasal patency have been reported. Univers
al standardisation was achieved in 1983 in Brussels by Clement et al.
[1], but many specialists are looking for a system giving more informa
tion on the functional aspects of the nose. A new development arising
from active anterior rhinomanometry is rhinoresistometry. We tested th
is equipment, which has been introduced with new software for calculat
ion and graphic presentation. 24 adult volunteers with proven allergy
to grass pollen were examined immediately after long-term challenge in
the Vienna Challenge Chamber [3] and 15 minutes after decongestion by
application of 5% ephedrine solution, The similarity and differences
between rhinomanometry and rhinoresistometry, as well as the value of
the additional parameters are pointed out. Our data indicate that rhin
oresistometry is a rapid, reproducible and non-invasive technique, whi
ch gives extended information in comparison to classic rhinomanometry.
The results correlate very well with the findings obtained by the sta
ndard method. This pilot study demonstrates the benefit of the new par
ameters.