To the Editor:
Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a genetic condition affecting one in 10 000–40 000 people from birth [1]; cilia fail to beat, and the airway clearance of mucus and debris is severely impaired. If untreated, this results in progressive lung infection leading to bronchiectasis and ultimately respiratory failure. Additionally, delayed diagnosis has implications for genetic counselling, appropriate management of glue ear and fertility advice. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment are believed to improve outcome. The diagnosis of PCD is highly specialised and results can remain inconclusive, despite state of the art equipment and diagnostic techniques. A European consensus statement [2, 3] highlighted that there is no “gold-standard” diagnostic test; diagnosis requires expert review of clinical history and screening tests (nasal nitric oxide measurement) alongside analysis of ciliary function and ultrastructure [2]. It is recommended that ciliary activity of respiratory epithelial cells obtained by nasal or bronchial brushing is recorded using a high-speed video camera mounted on a microscope. The images are played back in slow motion to …