Automated rhinomanometry.
In order to facilitate measurements and calculations in rhinomanometry a microprocessor is used. Pressure and flow signals, obtained from microtransducers, are automatically calibrated by drawing known volumes of air through a standardized test-nose, while the signals are read by the computer. When the patient is connected, the pressure-flow curves are displayed on a screen. At adequate breathing, the computer reads the pressure and flow 200 times per second for a few breaths. It performs all calculations and presents data describing the pressure-flow relationship, e.g. in terms of the resistance, where the curve crosses a circle with a certain radius in a polar coordinate system. Automatically calculated data were compared to manually derived ones in six healthy subjects and twenty patients with symptoms of nasal obstruction. There was a close correlation between the two sets of data. It is concluded that the described automated rhinomanometer facilitates the rhinomanometric procedure and gives accurate data on nasal airway resistance.