Altmann's millimeter-sized nasal mirror with millimeter-sized reference block

Method of use and precautions:

Can be used essentially to quantify nasal ventilation and measure nasal air leak in individuals with velopharyngeal sphincter alterations. The Altmann millimeter nasal speculum is indispensable for a reliable evaluation of your patient and, above all, is a tool that offers you many research possibilities.

To ensure that your Altmann millimetered nasal mirror provides reliable data, please note a few important details:

Check if your patient has a cold. A buildup of secretions in the upper respiratory tract can affect the results and also alter your future comparison data.

Before performing the assessment, ask the patient to blow his nose vigorously, even if he does not have a cold, by blowing one nostril first and then the other.

To facilitate the examination, stand up and keep the patient in an upright position.

Place the Altmann millimeter nasal mirror directly below the nose, at the level of the nasal bridge.

Center the Altmann millimeter nasal mirror and leave the central part directly below the columella at a right angle to the nose.

The patient's head should also be straight during the assessment.

Wait until the fogged area has completely disappeared before using the Altmann millimeter nasal mirror again.

Air-conditioned environments may affect the results of the study.

1. Assessment of nasal ventilation

Make sure your patient keeps their lips sealed before you begin the assessment. Hold the Altmann's millimeter nasal mirror below the nose and after two exhalations, mark the fogged area with an overhead projector pen directly on the mirror.

Make the marking with the pen quickly, as the mirror cools down quickly and the fogged area disappears, which will not allow you to draw the correct lines.

The Altmann millimeter nasal mirror can be used on both the straight side and the side with the depression for nasal adjustment, but we usually use the depression side to evaluate nasal ventilation potential.

2. Assessment of nasal air leak

To evaluate nasal air leak, place the Altmann millimeter nasal speculum under the nose only after the patient has started speaking so that breathing is not confused with air leak. Remove it immediately after speaking has stopped.

It is also recommended that the patient keep their eyes closed while evaluating nasal air leak, especially in children, to prevent the person from trying to decrease or increase the air leak.

For this type of assessment, the protocol you want can be used. Here we propose the assessment of breathing, syllable sequences with /i/ and sentences.

To detect intermittent leaks, it is recommended to use the straight side of the mirror to allow its movement from side to side during the evaluation process.

3. Using the "Reference Block"

First, mark the outline of the fogged area that occurred during the evaluation directly on the Altmann's millimeter nasal mirror using an overhead projector pen.

Transfer the obtained data to a sheet of the reference block by placing it over the mirror and copying the line directly or through transparency.

The entries in the reference block not only allow for a better assessment of your patient, but also for tracking the course of treatment.