Background: To diagnose occupational rhinitis, it is mandatory to conduct an objective assessment of changes in nasal patency during specific inhalation challenge (SIC). The reproducibility of acoustic rhinometry measurements in the setting of occupational challenges has never been examined. This study assessed the reproducibility of acoustic rhinometry during SIC investigation of occupational rhinitis.
Methods: Twenty-four subjects underwent acoustic rhinometry measurements during SIC investigation of occupational rhinitis. Subjects attended 3-6 days of SIC within a week by means of a realistic or closed-circuit apparatus methodology
Results: All of the within-day intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for nasal volume (2-5 cm) and minimum cross-sectional area (MCA) based on a different number of measurements (2-7) were above 0.85; all of the coefficients of variation (CVs)for the same parameters were low (below 10%). The between-day CVs based on different numbers of SIC sessions ranged from 8.0 to 8.8% and from 6.8 to 8.8%for nasal volume and MCA, respectively. The between-day ICCs ranged from 0.80 to 0.88 and from 0.83 to 0.94 for nasal volume and MCA, respectively.
Conclusion: Acoustic rhinometry showed good within- and between-day reproducibility and can be recommended for the objective monitoring of nasal patency during SIC investigating occupational rhinitis.