[Quantitative cytology of nasal secretions collected by lavage and blowing. Nasal cytometry].

The authors propose a method, simple and practical, for quantitative cytological analysis of nasal secretions. A representative sample of secretions was collected in each nasal cavity by the washing-blowing technic. Homogenization using mucolytics was the first step in the laboratory. After cytocentrifugation and May-Grundwald-Giemsa staining, the light microscope (x 100) was used for the differential leukocyte count. The two factors Friedman's test (sample and experimentation) showed no analytic variability of the measure (p less than 0.05) for the analysed parameters. 534 specimens were obtained on 254 patients and 13 control subjects. All the parameters could be analysed for the two nasal cavities on 127 patients (47.6%), for only one nasal cavity on 62 patients (23.2%), at all 189 positive results (70.8%). The mean volume collected after a 7 ml washing-blowing test was 5 ml. The total leukocyte count varied between 6,833 +/- 1,424 and 44,638 +/- 31,226 per ml in the control group, between 125,246 +/- 36,108 and 498,245 +/- 367,328 per ml in the patient group. The mean eosinophil count varied between 0.3 +/- 0.2% and 1.3 +/- 0.8% in the control group, between 15.1 +/- 2.4% and 18.2 +/- 2.6% in the patient group. The neutrophil count was over 90% in the control group, between 75 and 80% in the patient group. The mean lymphocyte count was about 5% in the two groups, the monocyte count about 1%. So the washing-blowing technic enables a quantitative analysis of nasal secretions. Nasal cytometry seems to be an interesting method for studying the inflammatory secretory cells compartment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)