Significance of Anteriorl and Posterior Technique in Rhinomanometry

Abstract

Posterior and anterior rhinomanometry are supplementary tests. Posterior rhinomanometry is less sensitive to disturbances caused by distortion of the movable external pyramid of the nose, a common difficulty when testing Caucasians. The significance of posterior rhinomanometry is greatly limited by the fact that it can be applied in only 50–60% of people. Very rare discrepancies in the information obtained by anterior and posterior rhinomanometry confirm the value of the always applicable anterior rhinomanometry as a basic test. The frequent significant differences in the mean values of nasal pressure-drop or -rise by anterior and posterior technique nevertheless prove that these two different ways of measuring the nasal resistance are different tests and must be evaluated as such.