Abstract
The rheologic properties of nasal mucus from the patients with chronic sinusitis was determined by the oscillating sphere magnetic rheometer. The increase in the elastic modulus (G’) and the decrease in the dynamic viscosity (η’) of mucoid and mucopurulent nasal mucus indicate that both types of nasal mucus possess the network of transient cross-links between macromolecules. The G’ and the η’ of 12 mucopurulent nasal mucus was significantly high compared with those of 13 mucoid mucus (p < 0.01), and those of mucopurulent mucus were out of the optimal range for mucociliary transport. Results suggest that abnormally high viscoelasticity of nasal mucus is one of the causes of reduced nasal mucociliary clearance in chronic sinusitis.
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