Rhinomanometric Values in Patients with Cervical Damage

Abstract

The change in the rhinomanometric values in response to a change in the body position or urination was studied in three patients with cervical damage. Nasal resistance increased when the body position was changed from the sitting position to the dorsal position, while it decreased by urination. This phenomenon is inferred to occur in association with autonomic hyperreflex - ia, a phenomenon specific for patients with cervical damage. In the said hyperreflexia, stimulation of a paralytic region by such as fullness of the urinary bladder causes sympathetic reflex resulting in an increase in the systemic blood pressure. As a result, the blood vessels of the nasal cavity, a non-paralytic region, are dilated to cause nasal obstruction. In healthy persons, the change in the body position from the sitting position to dorsal position also causes a slight increase in the resistance in the nasal cavity. The finding that this phenomenon is more marked in patients with cervical damage sug- gests that a disorder of the sympathetic function due to trauma is involved in the observed phenomenon. © 1995, Society of Oto-rhino-laryngology Tokyo. All rights reserved.