Korean J Otorhinolaryngol-Head Neck Surg.  2008 Feb;51(2):136-140.

Ciliary Activity in Basal and Activated Status and Its Correlation with Clinical Findings in Chronic Rhinosinusitis

• Kim IS
• Kim HY
• Bae SH
• Kang JW
• Rhee CS

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There are conflicting results about ciliary activity in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). And dynamic movements reacting to various stimuli in sinusitis mucosa have been studied rarely. This study was designed to investigate the ciliary activity according to the severity of sinusitis and clinical symptoms. We aimed to identify the dynamic ciliary activity in response to purinergic stimulation in sinusitis.
SUBJECTS AND METHOD
Nasal mucosal samples were obtained from 44 CRS and 20 normal subjects. We measured ciliary beat frequency (CBF) in the basal and activated status. For evaluating the correlation of CBF with clinical findings, nasal symptoms, endoscopic findings, CT findings, allergy tests, and olfactory tests were reviewed.
RESULTS
No significant differences were found in basal CBF between normal and CRS mucosa. However, the CBF stimulated by ATP in normal and CRS mucosa showed marked differences: both the maximal increase and duration of increased CBF by ATP were significantly reduced in CRS mucosa. The olfactory test showed significant correlation with basal CBF, but the presence of allergy or nasal symptoms did not show significant correlation with the basal CBF. The CT score and presence of nasal polyposis showed negative correlation with the basal CBF (p<0.05).
CONCLUSION
The basal CBF of normal and CRS mucosa showed no difference. However, dynamic ciliary activity responding to purinergic stimulation was markedly attenuated in sinusitis mucosa. The severity of sinusitis and presence of polyposis negatively affected CBF.

Keyword

Chronic sinusitis; Ciliary beat frequency; Adenosine triphosphate

MeSH Terms

Adenosine Triphosphate
Hypersensitivity
Mucous Membrane
Sinusitis
Adenosine Triphosphate