CHOANAL ATRESIA: A SURFACE AND ULTRASTRUCTURAL STUDY OF THE NASAL MUCOUS MEMBRANES

Biopsies taken from the anterior two-thirds of the inferior turbinate of 3 female patients affected by unilateral complete choanal atresia were studied at the light, transmission and scanning electron microscopes. Several alterations, consisting in the unevenness of the mucosal surface, the thickening of the basilar membrane and the presence of ciliary abnormalities in the respiratory mucosa of the affected side were observed. Ciliary abnormalities consisted in the presence of several "adhesive" and "bulging" compound cilia, of cilia with excessive cytoplasm and cytoplasmatic processes, and of ciliary structures with loss of the peripheral membrane. At SEM, cilia of the affected cavity appeared bundled, irregularly oriented, flattened and covered by an increased and/or accumulated secretion. Choanal atresia represent, according to the authors, a chronic suffering condition of the nasal mucous membranes. It is characterized by peculiar aspects which are probably related, on one hand, to the increased and/or accumulated secretions and, on the other, to he congenital and long-standing airflow deprivation