Abstract
In 20 rabbits one nostril was closed surgically and the nasal mucosa lying anteriorly in the vestibule was studied 4--90 days postoperatively. On the occluded side, without air-flow, the epithelium--which at this site is normally thickened due to hyperplasia of basal cells--gradually returned to a normal thinner, regular epithelium with increased number of goblet cells. On the patent side, where the airflow was doubled, the cilia were damaged. As early as the 4th day, a process of repair had been initiated, with hyperplasia of basal cells and differentiation of these cells into ciliated and goblet cells. As a result of continued trauma, similar processes continued, but there were no signs of a permanent transformation of the epithelium into squamous epithelium, not even on the 90th day.