Nasal mucosal temperature during respiration

One of the most important functions of the nose is heating the inspiratory air. The aim of the present study was to measure nasal mucosal temperature at defined intranasal sites during respiration, without interruption of nasal breathing. A total of 15 healthy volunteers was included in the study. A miniaturized thermocouple was used for continuous detection of the septal mucosal temperature in the nasal vestibule, the nasal valve area, the anterior turbinate area and the nasopharynx during respiration. The highest temperature values were measured at the end of expiration, the lowest values at the end of inspiration with a statistically significant difference (P