1 95 Westwood Drive New Britain, Connecticut
I continue to be amazed by the elaborate means by which physicians attempt to ascertain the patency of a newborn's choanae (Pediatrics, 41:147, 1968, and Pediatrics, 42:216, 1968). I would like to inform others of my method, as it is very simple and painless.1 Besides, it requires no accessory equipment. Simply occlude the child's mouth by holding it shut, then obstruct a naris with the examiner's thumb. The examiner can hear or feel air passing out of the unobstructed naris, and, if he does, that naris has to be patent.