Unilateral nasal nitric oxide measurement after nasal surgery

This study was designed to validate and standardize a method for unilateral nasal nitric oxide (NO) measurement. Fourteen healthy volunteers and 11 pa tients who had undergone unilateral medial maxillectomy were enrolled. Nasa l NO was measured unilaterally by means of a dual pump system, and bilatera l nasal NO was measured by aspirating air through the nasal airway in serie s. The median unilateral NO output was 195 nL/min on the surgical side and 291 nL/min on the contralateral, surgically untreated side (p = .006). The NO output was not significantly different between nostrils in the control g roup (p = .82). With the bilateral technique, there was no significant diff erence between the surgery group and the healthy-subjects group (p = .72). The unilateral nasal NO technique is sensitive in determining unilateral di fferences in nasal NO production, The NO outputs from the nostrils were sim ilar in normal subjects regardless of the nasal cycle, but were significant ly lower on the operated side in the unilateral nasal surgery group.