Abstract
The subjects of this study were administered 1 % histamine (Sigma Inc.) intranasally, and the vascular bed of the superficial mucosa at the inferior nasal concha was observed with the use of natural light and narrow band imaging (NBI). Observations were made every minute during a five-minute period. The following findings were reported : 1) In patients with allergic rhinitis, capillary dilation of the inferior nasal concha was noted after a mean of 1.0 minute and interstitial edema was observed after a mean of 2.2 minutes in all patients. 2) The early phase reactions occurred more promptly in patients with allergic rhinitis. 3) Among the non-allergic patients, capillary dilation of the inferior nasal concha was noted after a mean of 2.0 minutes in all patients, and interstitial edema developed after a mean of 3.0 minutes in 3 (42.8%) of these individuals. 4) The development of the early phase reaction was slower in the non-allergic patients in comparison to the patients with allergic rhinitis.
