A Method for Determination of Blood Flow with 133 Xe in Human Nasal Mucosa

Abstract

The ¹³³Xe wash-out technique was used as a method for calculation of the blood flow in human nasal mucosa. The disappearance of ¹³³Xe from the nasal mucosa was followed using scintillation detectors. In laryngec-tomees it was shown that the disappearance of ¹³³Xe from the mucosa depended mainly on the blood flow. Leakage of ¹³³Xe from the mucosa to the nasal air was unimportant. The disappearance rate of ¹³³Xe was decreased by oxymetazoline and increased by histamine, most likely due to the effects of these vasoactive drugs on the muco-sal blood flow. The ¹³³Xe wash-out technique would seem to be a simple method to study nasal mucosal blood-flow changes in humans.