CLINICAL RELEVANCE OF TUBULUS ANOMALIES AND COMPOUND CILIA

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) from nasal mucosa and nasal muc ociliary transport rate (MTR) with a radio-isotopic method were examin ed in 144 patients with various respiratory symptoms. Examinations wer e not performed during acute infections. In cases of increased amount of tubulus anomalies: nasal MTR was not significantly slower than in o ther patients, the disorientation of ciliary beat direction was signif icantly larger, there was no connection with increased amount of compo und cilia and then was no correlation to any specific symptom or respi ratory disease. Tn cases of increased amount of compound cilia: nasal MTR did not differ from other patients and the disorientation of cilia ry beat direction did not differ from other patients. In a follow-up s tudy of 76 patients 5-11 years (mean 9.3 years) later the amount of tu bulus anomalies and compound cilia had changed in most patients. In pa tients with less symptoms at the follow-up than primarily, there was a non-significant tendency to have less tubulus anomalies, too, but no change in the amount of compound cilia. The amount of tubulus anomalie s and compound cilia is not stable. Their number can either increase o r decrease during a follow-up. Tubulus anomalies are non-specific and probably secondary changes of minor clinical importance and compound c ilia would seem to be quite irrelevant findings in the ultrastructural evaluation of respiratory cilia.