ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The goblet cells secrete mucus in response to a wide variety of stimuli, playing an important role on increased nasal secretion. One of the main symptoms and signs in atrophic rhinitis and rhinitis sicca is a crust formation that fill up the nasal cavity, obstructing the nasal cavity. It has been suggested to be caused by mucosal atrophy and decreased nasal secretion. Nevertheless, distribution of goblet cells in both rhinitis has not been evaluated in the whole surface of inferior turbinate. The present study was to investigate the distribution density of goblet cells in the inferior turbinate of both rhinitis patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Impression cytology, using nitroscellulose membrane, was performed in inferior turbinates of normal control, rhinitis sicca and atrophic rhinitis patients. The membrane was fixed in the fixative and then stained with Alcian Blue. RESULTS: The membrane stained with Alcian Blue defined the whole distribution of goblet cells which was present in the medial surface of the inferior turbinate. In normal nasal turbinates, goblet cells were evenly distributed, and did not differ in their distribution density. In rhinitis sicca, goblet cells were irregularly distributed, showing a moth-eaten appearance in the anterior and mid-portion, whereas they gained the same distribution as the normal turbinate for the posterior portion. Atrophic rhinitis had a few number of goblet cells even in the mid-and posterior portion of the inferior turbinate. CONCLUSION: Impression cytology proves to be a reliable and efficient method for the evaluation of goblet cells distributed in the inferior turbinates. The present study demonstrated that goblet cells decreased in their number in inferior turbinates of both rhinitis, suggesting their major role in decreased nasal secretion.