Assessment of the correlation of rhinometry with the symptoms and signs of allergic rhinitis in children.

The measurement of nasal patency by anterior rhinometry is a potentially useful tool in evaluating patients with various forms of rhinitis. This study measured both nasal air flow by anterior rhinometry and symptom/sign scores in 49 children with perennial allergic rhinitis. We found that anterior rhinometry in children is (1) a simple, rapid procedure, (2) well accepted by the pediatric patient, and (3) a valid technique for objectively assessing and quantifying the somewhat subjective parameters that physicians traditionally follow for allergic rhinitis.