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Mucociliary clearance in chronic sinusitis

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Abstract

Mucociliary clearance is an important defence mechanism of upper and lower respiratory tracts. Any disturbance in the mechanism leads to stagnation of secretions and secondary infection with prolonged mucociliary clearance time. The present study was undertaken to establish normal mucociliary clearance time in our region and to evaluate its diagnostic and prognostic potential in chronic sinusitis of variable duration with and without obstructive diseases.

A simple Saccharine test was done in twenty healthy individuals and fifty patients suffering from Chronic Sinusitis, before and after treatment, to know the effect of disease on mucociliary clearance.

The normal mucociliary clearance time in our region is 6.99 ± 0.26 with S.D. 1.15 and significant change in mucociliary clearance occurs in Chronic Sinusitis.

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Birdi, S.M., Singh, S. & Singh, A. Mucociliary clearance in chronic sinusitis. IJO & HNS 50, 15–19 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02996761

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