Orientation of respitatory tract cilia in patients with primary ciliary dyskinesia, bronchiectasis, and in normal subjects

Abstract

A reproducible technique, utilising a graphics tablet and a personal computer for measuring ciliary orientation from electron micrographs of ciliated epithelium, was assessed. Ciliary deviation was measured in 47 normal subjects (mean ciliary deviation ± 1 SD was 14.6 (3.3°)), in eight patients with bronchiectasis and normal ciliary function (15.1 (6.5°)), and in seven patients with primary ciliary dyskinesia (38.7 (7.8°); significantly greater than the first two groups). Measurements of ciliary deviation at the tip, base, and basal feet showed very little variation along the ciliary shaft in all three groups, suggesting that valid measurements of ciliary deviation can be made at any level o..