to the rim of the nosepiece, and it was positioned passively as to not obstruct or deform the nasal opening. The patient was asked to breathe normally through the nose (Fig. 5). The test was then performed as the patient briefly held their breath as instructed by the examiner in the following manner: the patient was asked to take a normal breath through the nose, let some air out, and briefly hold their breath for 1-2 seconds while the data were recorded by the rhinometer.6 These measurements were repeated two times for each nasal side of the patient. The recorded volume (in cubic centimeters) and area (in centimeters squared) was tabulated, and the mean of the acoustic rhinometer readings per subject was calculated for use in the data analysis. The subject data was organized primarily by the responses to the nasal health questionnaire (abnormal and normal). Furthermore, the data were classified using a unique identification number. The means of the rhinometer readings and the ImageJ calculations was also organized for each patient. The statistical analysis was performed
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using the SPSS version 16.0 program. The data were analyzed for left and right radiographic measurements and rhinometer readings (Tables 1 and 2). A Pearson correlation matrix was formulated to investigate the relationship between
the eight co-variants of left and right radiographic calculations and the values provided by the acoustic rhinometer. To ensure validity, the data were compared to the reference values for acoustic rhinometry reported by Straszek et al. for the child population ages 4 to 13.18 The patients and their guardians were informed of the data that were accumulated, and of the role of the
airway with regards to craniofacial development. If needed, a referral to otolaryngologist Dr. Arnold Lee at Tufts Medical Center was provided to the patient. Data and Results
The Normal group had an average rhinometer nasal cross section area of 0.42 cm2 and nasal volume of 3.85 cm3. For this group, the mean panoramic and cephalometric nasal cross sectional area was 20,647.68 and 11,143.38 pixels respectively. The Abnormal group had an average rhinometer nasal cross section area of 0.25 cm2 and nasal volume of 2.26 cm3. For this group, the mean panoramic and cephalometric nasal cross sectional area was 8879.90 and 3851.53 pixels respectively. Tables 1 and 2 also list further data for both groups including ranges and medians. Table 1. Compiled data from the 26 subjects in the Normal Airways group. Normal Airways Table 2. Compiled data from the 29 subjects in the Abnormal Airways group.