Introduction The nocturnal application of nasal continuous positive airway pressure is used for treatment of sleep apnoea. The study of the histopathological changes that accompany its application is needed for proper evaluation.
Subjects and Methods: Fifteen adult rabbits were used in this study, 14 were the subject of the experiments and one animal used as control. Under combined general and local anaesthesia, ring of skin and epithelium was removed from the left nostril, the margins of the wound were undermined, averted and brought together with mattress sutures, effectively closing the nostril. The animals were sacrified at intervals. The duration of surgical closure of one nostril was four days in 7 animals and three months in 7 others. Strip of bony and cartilaginous septum was removed after marking the closed side with a silk stitch. In each interval 4 animals were used for transmission electron microscope (TEM) and 3 for scanning electron microscope (SEM).
Results: On the side with sealed nostril the number of goblet cells increased, while the number of ciliated cells decreased. In contrast, on the open side of the nose disappearance of the ciliated cells and a transformation of the respiratory epithelium into thickened multilayered squamous epithelium with no goblet cells.