Abstract:The object of the study was to demonstrate the abilities of optical coherence tomography (OCT) technique in diagnostics of inflammatory processes in ear, nose, and throat (ENT). When used in diagnostics of the nose and pharynx, OCT facilitates differential diagnostics of rhinitis enabling differentiation between the normal state, two stages of allergic rhinitis, vasomotor and atrophic rhinitis and diagnostics of pharyngitis. This paper also demonstrates the ability of OCT to monitor changes in pharynx induced by cryotherapy. In diagnostics of the tympanic cavity the ability of OCT to differentiate between different stages of chronic otitis and retraction of the tympanic membrane is demonstrated. Finally a correlation is discussed between morphologic alterations induced by inflammatory processes and changes in diagnostic OCT images.

Background Atopic bronchial asthma (BA) in children is associated with upper airways pathology (UAP). Among them, a combination of allergic rhinitis (AR) and nasal obstructive disorders (NOD), including hypertrophy of the pharyngeal tonsil (HPT) and anomalies of the intranasal structures (AINS), is abundant. In such patients, anterior active rhinomanometry (AARM) is an important method of examining nasal patency. However, NOD can influence the AARM parameters in children with BA and nasal symptoms, and this effect must be taken into account in clinical practice. Study goal was to elucidate the effect of NOD on rhinomanometric parameters in this group of patients. MethodsTotal of 66 children with BA and AR were examined with AARM, rhinovideoendoscopy, spirometry, and standard clinical tests allowing revealing the structure of comorbid pathologies. In order to avoid the influence of anthropometric parameters of children and their age on AARM parameters, a special index of reduced total nasal airflow was used. ResultsIt has been established that NOD, especially HPT, have a significant negative impact on the indices of anterior active rhinomanometry during the periods of both AR remission and AR exacerbation. The effect of AINS is much weaker and was remarkable only in combination with HPT.

Bronchial asthma (BA) is often associated with chronic inflammatory processes in the nasal mucosa; these processes give rise to allergic rhinitis, chronic rhinosinusitis, adenoiditis, and polypous rhinosinusitis. Due to their multiple symptoms, these diseases of the upper respiratory tract, especially allergic rhinitis, are often difficult to verify in patients with asthma. The aim of the study was to evaluate the diagnostic potential of endonasal IR thermometry in BA patients suspected of allergic rhinitis. Materials and Methods. Fifty children diagnosed with both BA and allergic rhinitis and 15 healthy children, matched by gender and age, participated in the study. The endonasal temperature determined with contactless IR thermometry was confronted with the symptoms of allergic rhinitis and sinusitis assessed with the TNSS and SNOT-20 questionnaires. The results were compared with the severity of nasal obstruction as determined through the anterior active rhinomanometry. Results. The nasal temperature in patients with asthma and allergic rhinitis was 33.77 [33.37; 34.17]°С, which was significantly lower than that in the group of healthy children (34.98 [34.57; 35.39]°С; p=0.0006); the body temperature did not differ between the groups (36.55 [36.45; 36.65] and 36.58 [36.40; 36.76]°С, respectively; p=0.5). We found a negative correlation between the values of nasal temperature and the sinusitis symptom scores in patients with BA and allergic rhinitis (R=-0.32; p=0.02). Conclusion. Patients with both BA and allergic rhinitis showed a decreased endonasal temperature in comparison with healthy children; the endonasal temperature can serve an indicator of allergic inflammation of the nasal mucosa.

The usability of time-domain optical coherence tomography equipped with a flexible endoscopic probe for detecting effusion in the tympanic cavity is shown in the clinical environment. The possibility of assessing the dynamic properties of effusion, particularly its contained scatterers’ mobility, is shown in real clinical cases. A method of comparative assessment of scatterers’ mobility is proposed.

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