Nasal scraping in diagnosing ciliary dyskinesia

Background: Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a congenital, clinically and ultrastructurally heterogeneous disease caused by abnormal structure and/or function of cilia. Kartagener's syndrome is one subgroup of PCD. Acquired ciliary dyskinesia is frequent, generally being associated with or following respiratory tract infections. Methods: From January 2003 to April 2006, nasal mucociliary transport time was measured in 64 patients and specimens obtained by nasal scraping were examined by transmission electron microscope (TEM). Results: The 64 nasal scrapings led to the diagnosis of 11 (17.2%) cases of PCD and 51 (79.7%) cases of secondary ciliary disorder. In two cases (3.1%) no clear diagnosis was possible. Conclusion: Nasal scraping is an easy, cheap, and efficient tool for detecting ciliary abnormalities by TEM and for distinguishing acquired and congenital modifications.