Effects of Supine and Prone Positions on Nasal Patency in Healthy Individuals.

Supine position reduces nasal patency compared with that in the sitting position; however, data on the effects of prone position on nasal patency is lacking. We assessed the nasal patency of 30 healthy individuals without upper respiratory tract disorders by using visual analog scale (VAS) score and acoustic rhinometry in 7 positions: sitting; frontal, right, and left supine; and frontal, right, and left prone. According to the VAS scores, compared with that in the sitting position, both the supine and prone positions significantly increased subjective nasal obstruction ( This is the first study to elucidate that the prone position can significantly reduce the nasal patency in healthy individuals through subjective and objective assessments. IV.