ABSTRACT
Objectives: To identify anatomical and airflow-induced
relationships based on nasal morphological variations due to inter- and
intra-racial differences and gender.
Design: Subject-specific reconstruction of the nasal airway
anatomy was created from computed tomography images in 16 subjects: 4
subjects from each ethnic group (Black, East Asian, Caucasian, and
Latino) comprising of 2 males and 2 females. Volume, surface area, nasal
index, airflow rate, and nasal resistance were measured to determine the
role of normal nasal morphological variations due to race and gender
differences on these variables.
Results: Bilateral nasal airspace surface area (p=0.0499) and
volume (p=0.0281) were significantly greater in male subjects than in
females. Median (Interquartile Range; IQR) surface area was 218.83cm²
(IQR=29.42 cm²) for males and 190.08cm² (IQR=19.77cm²) for females, and
20.88cm³ (IQR=3.72 cm³) versus 18.02cm³ (IQR=3.06cm³) for males and
female’s nasal volumes, respectively. Nasal volume was greatest in East
Asians (Median=20.38cm3 ,
IQR=4.58cm3 ), while Latinos had the greatest
surface area (Median=219.70cm2 ,
IQR=29.56cm2 ). East Asian and Black females
had a larger average nasal index than their male counterparts, while
Latino and Caucasian males had a larger average nasal index than their
female counterparts. Caucasians had the highest median pressure at
12.55Pa (IQR=6.19Pa) and highest median nasal resistance at 0.050Pa.s/ml
(IQR=0.025Pa.s/ml), while East Asians had the lowest for both variables.
Conclusions: Our findings indicate that there exist anatomical
variabilities based on race and gender. However, these variabilities may
not significantly influence nasal respiratory functions.