Despite the fact that hundreds of thousands of Americans suffer from allergies, asthma, polyposis, and other airway restricting maladies, there is presently no low cost commercially available integrated computerized system for quantitatively assessing nasal airflow function. Quantitative normative data based upon male and female subjects with normal or abnormal nasal function are not available for any airflow measures derived from currently available commercial systems, and all such systems suffer from a number of technical and theoretical problems. The overall purpose of this project is to develop, for subsequent commercial distribution, a low cost, practical, and integrated computerized rhinomanometric system for which valid normative data are available, and percentile normative values are reported for patients at the time of testing based upon gender, age, and race. In Phase I we initiated the development of this system. In Phase II we will complete the development of this system and establish population norms for individuals with normal and abnormal nasal function. During Phase III the developed system will be made available for commercial distribution.
