3-D Visualization of the Anti-Obstructive Effect of Levocetirizine
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2010-07-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
The prevalence of allergic rhinitis is high and appears to be rising worldwide. Therefore, it
is important and necessary to understand and visualize therapy effects on this disease. In
this study we will demonstrate the effect of levocetirizine on nasal cavity dimensions by
assessing not only standard nasal flow diagnostics such as rhinomanometry and acoustic
rhinometry, but supplement exami¬nation procedures with long-term rhinometry and magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI). With the aid of a virtual model and computer fluid dynamics, we are
able to simulate nasal air flow and provide three-dimensional visualization of the computed
flow.
In previous trials ([Bachert], [deBlic], [Day] and [Deruaz]) it has been shown that allergic
symptoms, especially nasal congestion, diminish significantly under treatment with
levocetirizine. We will demonstrate this anti-obstructive effect by comparing the reaction to
nasal allergen challenge before and after four-week treatment with levocetirizine.