When inflammation of the mucous membranes of the nose is usually assigned a laboratory study of the separated contents of the sinuses. It is called a rhinitigram - decoding allows you to accurately determine the type of disease (infectious or allergic), as well as its nature (viral or bacteriological).
How is the rhinocytogram done?
The procedure is to take the material with a special sterile stick with cotton wool at the ends. Then the contents of the nasal sinuses are stained with pigment (according to the method of Romanovsky-Giemsa), which gives different cells an individual shade. So, eosinophils in the rhinocytogram have a bright pink color, lymphocytes are blue-blue. Erythrocytes are colored in orange tone, neutrophils acquire a shade from purple to violet.
The smear is examined by means of a microscope, during the study the count of the leukocytes listed is counted, and the value is compared with the reference indices.
Decoding of the rhinocytogram and the norm of the obtained values
To determine the true nature of rhinitis, the percentage of morphological varieties of leukocytes is established. With the largest number of neutrophils, the acute stage of the disease is diagnosed. The increased content of eosonophils is characteristic of allergic rhinitis . If the concentration of neutrophils is simultaneously increased, then we are talking about infectious complications. In other cases, it is believed that there is vasomotor rhinitis .
Normal values in the rhinocytogram:
- lymphocytes in the range from 0 to 10%;
- neutrophils - a single number in the field of view;
- eozonophiles up to 40%;
- erythrocytes and epithelial cells in a single quantity;
- cocco bacteria are either absent or occasionally appear in the field of vision.
At the same time, mast cells, basophils, should not be present in the mucous membranes of the maxillary sinuses. Some people also do not have eosonophils and lymphocytes. Their absence is not a pathology and is considered the norm.
It is important to note that the exact interpretation should be provided by an otolaryngologist, since the composition of the microflora often depends on such factors as the patient's age, general health, the presence of chronic and slow respiratory diseases, previously transferred operations. In addition, the results of rhinocytograms are influenced by the systemic and local drugs used, drops used in the nose.