Simple assessment of olfaction in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis

Conclusion: The brief-smell identification test (B-SIT) can substitute for the butanol threshold test (BTT) in screening of anosmia and postoperative assessment of olfactory outcomes in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). A time-effective test battery composed of B-SIT and the visual analog scale (VAS) can be implemented for simple olfactory assessment in any otolaryngology clinic. Objectives: Anosmia is a distinct clinical entity requiring special attention. Unpredictable olfactory outcomes after surgery make preoperative assessment more important. We compared the results of the BTT, B-SIT, and VAS to investigate whether B-SIT or VAS can substitute for BTT in screening of anosmia and postoperative follow-up. Methods: We collected data on 68 CRS patients who had bilateral CRS and underwent endoscopic sinus surgery. Olfactory performance was graded using the BTT: normosmia, hyposmia, or anosmia. VAS and B-SIT were also performed. All tests were repeated 6 months after surgery. Postoperative improvement was defined by an increase of the BTT score ≥ 2. Results: The B-SIT and VAS scores of the anomics were significantly lower than those of the normosmics. B-SIT discriminated anosmia with high specificity. Within the improvement group, postoperative increase of B-SIT/VAS score showed significance. However, neither the B-SIT nor the VAS differentiated between no change and deterioration of olfaction.     

Olfactory dysfunction in patients with head trauma.

OBJECTIVE: There are few reports about following up olfactory acuity of the patients who have post-traumatic olfactory dysfunction. In this study, we studied about patients with post-traumatic olfactory dysfunction for a short period under a treatment. METHODS: The olfactory function of 27 patients with head trauma was studied. The olfactory acuities of all the patients were examined using olfactory tests before the treatment, and 18 patients were examined again after the treatment. Olfactory functions were evaluated in 26 patients by T&T olfactometry and in 27 patients by Alinamin test. All of the patients were treated with a local injection of suspended steroid solution into the nasal mucosa [J Otolaryngol Jpn 102 (1999) 1175]. RESULTS: Before the treatment, 16 patients (61.5%) presented anosmia, five patients (19.2%) presented severe hyposmia, three patients (11.5%) presented moderate hyposmia, and two patients (7.7%) presented mild hyposmia. Eighteen cases (69.2%) were negative for the Alinamin test and eight cases (30.8%) were positive. The improvement rates of recognition and detection thresholds by T&T olfactometry were 35.3 and 23.5%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Olfactory dysfunction caused by head trauma can be recovered to a limited degree in some cases by the local injection of steroid within the relatively short period from the start of the therapy.     

Olfaction in rhinology--methods of assessing the sense of smell

Olfactory disorders frequently occur in rhinological disease. Different subjective and objective test methods are available to assess the sense of olfaction. Among the subjective methods, screening tests and threshold measurements are commonly used to quantify hyposmia or anosmia. Qualitative methods are available using discrimination and identification tests. Objective methods are used in research and in some medicolegal situations. Objective tests include olfactory evoked potentials, functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging and functional Positron Emission Tomography. The measurement of the sense of smell helps to assess the whole spectrum of the effects of nasal disease. This is especially important before rhinological surgery, because a non-detected smell disorder in patients with rhinological disease is common. The assessment of a pre-existing hyposmia or anosmia helps to avoid a postoperative claim that this was caused by surgery. A variety of validated screening tests for olfaction is available and they are a useful tool to document whether a patient is able to smell.     

Placebo-controlled,randomized, double-blind study evaluating the efficacy of fluticasone propionate nasal spray for the treatment of patients with hyposmia/anosmia

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect on olfaction of topical glucocorticoid treatment versus placebo given for an extended period in addition to oral short-term glucocorticoids in patients with anosmia/hyposmia. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. The criterion for inclusion in the blinded phase was an improvement of at least 2 steps in the butanol odor threshold test following open treatment for 10 days with oral and nasal corticosteroids. Forty patients were included: 20 were randomized to treatment with fluticasone propionate, 10 to placebo and 10 others as controls. The topical treatment was continued for 6 months. RESULTS: The 3 groups showed similar improvements in their sense of smell after the initial 10-day treatment with combined oral and nasal corticosteroids. Patients who continued the local treatment maintained the same level of improvement throughout the study, whether or not they had been given nasal corticosteroids or placebo. We found no significant differences between the treatment groups. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with anosmia/hyposmia partly caused by local inflammation, no further improvement in the olfactory threshold is achieved by continuing with a topical intranasal glucocorticoid after an initial combined topical and systemic glucocorticoid treatment.     

Multicenter investigation of 1,036 subjects using a standardized method for the assessment of olfactory function combining tests of odor identification, odor discrimination, and olfactory thresholds

“Sniffin’ Sticks” is a test of nasal chemosensory performance that is based on penlike odor-dispensing devices. It is comprised of three tests of olfactory function: tests for odor threshold, discrimination and identification. Previous work has already established its test-retest reliability and validity in comparison to established measures of olfactory sensitivity. The results of this test are presented as a composite TDI score – i.e., the sum of results obtained for threshold, discrimination and identification measures. The present multicenter investigation aimed at providing normative values in relation to different age groups. To this end, 966 patients were investigated in 11 centers. An additional study tried to establish values for the identification of anosmic patients, with 70 anosmics investigated in five specialized centers where the presence of anosmia was confirmed by means of olfactory evoked potentials. For healthy subjects, the TDI score at the 10th percentile was 24.5 in subjects younger than 15 years, 30.3 for ages from 16 to 35 years, 28.8 for ages from 36 to 55 years and 27.5 for subjects older than 55 years. While these data can be used to estimate individual olfactory abilities in relation to a subject’s age, hyposmia was defined as the 10th percentile score of 16- to 35-year-old subjects. Our latter study revealed that none of 70 anosmics reached a TDI score higher than 15. This score of 15 is regarded as the cut-off value for functional anosmia. These results provide the basis for the routine clinical evaluation of patients with olfactory disorders using “Sniffin’ Sticks.” Received: 29 May 1999 / Accepted: 9 September 1999     

Screening of olfaction with smell diskettes

BACKGROUND: Aim of the study was the development of a new screening test of olfaction with reusable diskettes as odorant applicators. METHODS: A screening test of olfaction was designed using 8 diskettes containing different odorants. The diskettes can be opened to release the odor and are closed after testing. The test was designed as a triple forced multiple choice test using a questionnaire, resulting in a score from 0 to 8 correct answers. Ninety-one volunteers with a normal sense of smell and 13 patients with subjective hyposmia or anosmia were tested to validate the developed test. The same volunteers were also tested with the sniffin' sticks test, another screening test of olfaction that is already validated. After testing, the volunteers were asked to compare the two tests. RESULTS: Among the 91 volunteers with normal sense of smell, 10 achieved a score of 7, and 81 a score of 8 in the smell disk test. The 13 patients with hyposmia or anosmia achieved a score between 0 and 5. Based on the test design, there is a probability of 99.74% that a person who achieves a score of 7 or 8 will have normal olfaction. In the sniffin' sticks test, 85 volunteers with normal sense of smell achieved a score in the normal range for this test (6-8) whereas 6 volunteers were below with a score of 4 or 5. The 13 patients with hyposmia or anosmia scored between 0 and 6. The smell disk test was preferred by 86 persons, the sniffin' sticks test by 5, and 12 assessed both tests as equal. CONCLUSIONS: The developed screening test is reliable for identifying patients with a normal sense of smell, and it can distinguish them from patients with hyposmia and anosmia. The diskettes proved to be reliable and comfortable applicators for odorants in clinical practice.     

慢性鼻窦炎伴鼻息肉患者嗅觉障碍的影响因素分析

目的分析慢性鼻窦炎伴鼻息肉(chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps,CRSwNP)患者嗅觉障碍的影响因素。方法回顾性分析2014—2018年就诊于北京安贞医院行内镜鼻窦手术治疗的CRSwNP患者88例,男性22例,女性66例,年龄(48.1±11.3)岁(±s,下同)。所有入选患者均于术前行Sniffin′Sticks嗅觉测试、Lund-Mackay评分及改良鼻窦CT嗅区评分、鼻阻力及声反射检查、血常规及血生化等实验室检测、血清特异性IgE检测;术中取鼻息肉组织进行嗜酸粒细胞计数。根据Sniffin′Sticks嗅觉测试结果将患者分成嗅觉功能正常组和嗅觉功能障碍组,两组之间进行临床基线资料比较,根据单因素分析结果,结合临床有意义的指标进一步行多因素Logistic回归模型分析,并初步建立CRSwNP嗅觉障碍的预测模型。设P<0.05为差异有统计学意义。结果88例CRSwNP患者中,嗅觉正常32例(36.4%),嗅觉障碍56例(63.6%),其中嗅觉下降40例(45.5%)、失嗅16例(18.2%)。单因素分析发现,两组间组织嗜酸粒细胞数、血嗜酸粒细胞百分比、血尿素的差异存在统计学意义[12.7[2.0,52.3]个/高倍视野(M[P25,P75],下同)比38.6[16.2,87.0]个/高倍视野、2.75[1.60,4.80]%比4.35[2.50,6.60]%、(5.56±1.15)mmol/L比(4.98±1.33)mmol/L,P值均<0.05];改良鼻窦CT嗅区评分、除窦口鼻道复合体评分外的Lund-Mackay评分的差异均存在统计学意义(P值均<0.05)。多因素Logistic回归模型分析发现,改良鼻窦CT双侧嗅区总分和血尿素的差异具有统计学意义,其中双侧嗅区总分是嗅觉功能的危险因素(OR=2.108,95%CI:1.407~3.159,P<0.001);一定浓度的血尿素是嗅觉功能的保护因素(OR=0.461,95%CI:0.240~0.884,P=0.020)。进一步研究发现,由组织嗜酸粒细胞计数、血嗜酸粒细胞百分比、改良鼻窦CT双侧嗅区总分、总吸气、血尿素组成的预测模型受试者工作特征(ROC)曲线下面积(AUC)的值为0.888(P<0.01),对CRSwNP嗅觉障碍预测效果较好。结论改良鼻窦CT嗅区评分与CRSwNP患者的嗅觉障碍密切相关,一定程度的血尿素升高可能对CRSwNP患者的嗅觉功能有保护作用。     

Clinical assessment of retronasal olfactory function

OBJECTIVES: To develop a test kit for the simple assessment of retronasal olfactory function and to compare orthonasal and retronasal olfactory function in healthy subjects and patients with olfactory disorders. DESIGN AND PATIENTS: We tested 230 individuals with normosmia, hyposmia, and anosmia using grocery-available powders. Initially, 30 different substances were investigated. Subjects identified each substance using a list with 4 verbal items (forced choice). After preliminary experiments, 20 items were selected according to the degree to which they were identified by normosmic and anosmic subjects. Orthonasal olfactory function was assessed psychophysically using "sniffin' sticks," which includes tests for odor identification, discrimination, and butanol odor thresholds. In addition, anosmia was confirmed electrophysiologically by means of olfactory-evoked potentials. RESULTS: In healthy subjects, there was a test-retest reliability correlation of r(27) = 0.76 for retronasal olfactory function, which is similar to other odor identification tests. Retronasal testing in normosmic subjects allowed for the discrimination of sex-related differences, with women scoring higher than men (P =.007), and the identification of a slight decrease with age (r(120) = -0.20; P =.03). Orthonasal and retronasal identification of odors was found to correlate (r(86) = 0.78; P<.001). Retronasal testing allowed for the discrimination between normosmia, hyposmia, and anosmia (P<.001). In addition, retronasal performance of anosmic patients appeared to improve with duration of anosmia (P =.03). No difference was found between patients with anosmia of different origin. CONCLUSION: Results of the present investigation indicate that the assessment of retronasal olfactory function is possible using oral stimulus presentation.     

先天性失嗅患者的临床研究

目的总结先天性失嗅的分类、临床表现以及影像学特点。方法回顾性分析2004年8月-2006年9月收治的8例先天性失嗅病例的临床资料。4例为伴有其他异常的先天性失嗅患者，其中卡尔曼综合征（Kallmann syndrome）3例，鼻腔鼻窦发育异常1例；另外4例为孤立性失嗅。8例患者均行详细的病史采集、全面体检、T＆T嗅觉检查、嗅觉事件相关电位测试、鼻内镜检查和鼻窦CT检查。7例行嗅觉通路MRI和性激素检测，2例行嗅黏膜活组织检查。结果8例患者自幼均未闻到过任何气味。除1例鼻腔鼻窦发育异常外，其余7例耳鼻咽喉科常规检查以及鼻内镜检查未见异常。主观嗅觉测试均为完全失嗅。嗅觉事件相关电位测试显示最大嗅刺激引不出嗅觉事件相关电位。CT检查显示1例鼻腔鼻窦未发育，其余7例未见异常。MRI检查：6例均为嗅球、嗅束缺失，嗅沟缺失或部分变浅；1例双侧嗅球发育差。内分泌检查：3例青春期后外生殖器以及男性第二性征发育不良，血清睾酮、雌二醇、促黄体生成素以及促卵泡生成素水平低于正常。其余4例性激素检测正常。嗅黏膜活检：1例未见嗅上皮典型结构；另1例为鳞状上皮组织伴慢性炎性病变。结论先天性失嗅诊断应依据病史、专科体检、嗅觉测试、鼻窦cT以及嗅路MRI检查结果。嗅路MRI对诊断有重要价值。     

Special characteristics of expert assessment of olfactory and taste disorders]

BACKGROUND: The number of medical expert opinions dealing with smell and taste disorders has continuously increased in recent years. However, an overview of the specific problems and results of those expert opinions has not been published until now. INDIVIDUALS AND METHODS: Olfaction was assessed by multiple subjective tests in 145 individuals with chemosensory dysfunction caused by trauma or occupational and environmental exposures. Additionally, a gustatory test, nasal endoscopy, anterior rhinomanometry, and radiography of the paranasal sinuses were performed. Malignering was diagnosed on a trial of multiple symptoms. Retronasal olfaction was tested using the Güttich gustatory olfaction test. RESULTS: Most of the medical expert opinions have been ordered by professional associations (42%) and insurance companies (28%). Compensation for olfactory dysfunction was claimed after trauma (64%), occupational exposure (23%) rhinosurgical procedures (8%), and laryngectomy (5%). Anosmia or hyposmia was claimed by 66% and 24% of all individuals, respectively. According to the results of the chemosensory tests, 41% of patients suffered from anosmia and 40% had hyposmia. Malignering was registered in 14%. CONCLUSIONS: The study shows that the "characteristic case" is a male in the late fourties, complaining of anosmia initially noticed after an occipital or frontobasal head trauma. The assessment of olfactory deficits related to toxic or chemical occupational exposure is difficult when a latency between the occupational exposure and the onset of chemosensory dysfunction is present. Moreover, interactions between the occupational exposure and nicotine or alcohol abuse must be taken into consideration. Claims for medical liability arose in 3% of the study group after septoplasty and sinus surgery.     

Anosmia and nasal sinus disease

Smell loss associated with nasal sinus disease can be a frustrating condition for patients and their physicians. A better understanding of the causes and pathophysiology of olfactory dysfunction can provide a framework from which the physician can plan appropriate treatment and counsel patients as to probable outcomes. This article reviews the pathophysiology of smell loss and the diagnostic paradigms and treatment approaches for the more common causes of anosmia.     

Clinical significance of results from olfactory testing

BACKGROUND: Although widely used in healthy subjects and patients with olfactory loss, the significance of changes of scores from validated olfactory tests is unknown. AIM AND METHODS: The aim of the present study was to relate the self-assigned changes of olfactory function in terms of "better," "unchanged," and "worse" in patients with smell disorders with the results from olfactory testing by means of a validated test set. Olfactory function of 83 anosmic or hyposmic patients (40 women, 43 men; age 12-84 yr) was tested on two occasions (mean interval 136 days, minimum 7 days, maximum 6.7 yr). Olfactory function was assessed using a validated technique ("Sniffin' Sticks"). This test consists of three subtests, one for odor threshold (T), odor discrimination (D), and odor identification (I), with possible results ranging up to 16 points each. From the sum of the results from the three subtests a composite "TDI" score was obtained. RESULTS: Forty-four patients indicated an improvement of olfactory function, whereas 39 patients reported no change. No subject reported deterioration of olfactory sensitivity. Subjects assigned to group BETTER had higher TDI scores in the second olfactory tests than subjects assigned to the group UNCHANGED, both in absolute terms and as compared with the first olfactory test (effect "test occasion" by "self-assessed improvement," P < .001). There was no significant difference between groups with respect to age and sex (P = .99 and .84, respectively). Logistic regression showed that more than 60% of the subjects reported an improvement of olfactory sensitivity when the TDI score increased by 5.5 points. CONCLUSION: We show that there is a statistically significant relation between measured and perceived improvement of olfactory function in patients who first presented with the diagnosis of anosmia or hyposmia. The results indicate that improved olfactory function in patients with olfactory deficiency is perceived as such in everyday life and is quantitatively related to an improvement in the composite TDI score of the "Sniffin' Sticks" olfactory test battery. This is the basis for the application of a specific therapy for olfactory loss because of a possible gain in quality of life for the patients.     

A study of olfactory testing in patients with rhinological pathology in the ENT clinic

BACKGROUND: Despite the common occurrence of rhinological pathology presenting to the ENT clinic, routine testing of olfactory ability is rarely performed. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the role of routine olfactory testing. METHODS: This was a prospective study conducted in the outpatient clinic of a district general hospital. Patients presenting with rhinological complaints had their olfactory status assessed using the combined olfactory test (COT) before and after rhinological surgery. RESULTS: Eighty patients (56 men, 24 women) had tests completed over a 12-month period. Patients assessed mostly had nasal polyposis, chronic rhinosinusitis or septal deformity. 83% of patients had either a complaint of olfactory disturbance or a COT score of 6 or less, or had both; but correlation between symptoms and scores was poor. Post-operative COT scores showed significant improvement (p = 0.02) with post-septoplasty patients showing the most significant improvement as a group (p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Olfactory disturbance is very common in rhinological pathology and the patient's history alone cannot be relied upon. Simple olfactory assessment, such as with the combined olfactory test, is easy to perform and cheap to use and should be a commonly used resource in the ENT clinic. Formal testing can help to document any pre-existing olfactory loss and any post-operative changes as well as detecting unreported hyposmia.     

Anosmia after intranasal zinc gluconate use

BACKGROUND: Zinc is an essential mineral. Beneficial zinc absorption takes place via enteral, parenteral, or cutaneous routes. However, direct application to the olfactory epithelium has been reported to cause loss of smell. Recently, intranasal zinc gluconate has been recommended as a treatment for the common cold. Severe posttreatment hyposmia and anosmia have been observed. METHODS: The case report of a typical patient is presented and analyzed in detail, followed by a series of patients with severe hyposmia or anosmia after the use of intranasal zinc gluconate. RESULTS: Although interindividual variation in drug response and drug effect is apparent, the severe hyposmia or anosmia appears to be long lasting or permanent in some cases. The mechanism of olfactory loss is thought to be the direct action of the divalent zinc ion on the olfactory receptor cell. CONCLUSIONS: Zinc ions are toxic to olfactory epithelium. Reports of severe hyposmia with parosmia or anosmia have occurred after intranasal use of zinc gluconate.     

Olfactory function following nasal surgery: a 1-year follow-up

Olfactory dysfunction is a frequent symptom of nasal and sinunasal disease. Many of these patients undergo nasal sinus or nasal septum surgery. In this study, we evaluated the benefit of nasal surgery on olfactory function over a period of 12 months. Patients included in this study underwent either nasal sinus or nasal septum surgery. All patients were tested for olfactory function using the “Sniffin’ sticks” 16 item odor identification test. In addition, patients were asked to rate their nasal patency as well as their olfactory function at each visit. 157 patients were tested 3.5 months after surgery and 52 patients were tested again 12 months after surgery. Olfactory function improved significantly 3.5 months after surgery in patients, who received nasal sinus surgery; no significant increase was found in patients treated with nasal septum surgery. At the 12-month follow-up, the increase in olfactory function over all patients just missed statistical significance. Individually, however, 19% of the patients exhibited improvement after 3.5 months and 17% after 12 months. These numbers increased in patients with rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, who exhibited improvement of 30% after 3.5 months, and 32% after 12 months. Nasal sinus surgery produced an increase in measured olfactory function, but not nasal septum surgery. This increase appeared to be stable over the examined period of 12 months.     

Hazardous events associated with impaired olfactory function

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the risk of olfactory-related hazardous events in patients with impaired olfactory function. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: A university-based clinic for smell and taste disorders. PATIENTS: A total of 445 patients who underwent olfactory testing between 1983 and 2001. INTERVENTIONS: Patient interview, olfactory testing. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: (1) Frequency of olfactory-related hazardous events including cooking incidents (ie, burning pots or pans), undetected fires, undetected gas leaks, and ingestion of spoiled foods or toxic substances; (2) level of olfactory function (anosmia; severe, moderate, or mild hyposmia; or normosmia) as determined by olfactory testing. RESULTS: Olfactory testing revealed that 76% of patients had some degree of impairment; 30% had complete anosmia. Thirty-seven percent of patients with olfactory impairment but only 19% of patients without impairment experienced at least 1 olfactory-related hazardous event. Of the hazardous events reported by impaired patients, cooking-related incidents were most common, representing 45%, with ingestion of spoiled food (25%), inability to detect a gas leak (23%), and inability to smell a fire (7%) reported less frequently. There was a significant correlation between frequency of hazardous events and degree of olfactory impairment (Cochran-Armitage trend test, P<.001): at least 1 hazardous event was reported by 45.2% of patients with anosmia, 34.1% with severe hyposmia, 32.8% with moderate hyposmia, 24.2% with mild hyposmia, and 19.0% of patients with with normal olfaction by testing. CONCLUSION: Patients with impaired olfactory function are more likely to experience olfactory-related hazardous events than those with normal olfactory function.     

Clinical significance of olfactory event-related potentials related to orthonasal and retronasal olfactory testing

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the likelihood of recording olfactory event-related potentials (OERPs) in patients with an olfactory dysfunction and to correlate the electrophysiological responses to orthonasal and retronasal olfactory testing. DESIGN/MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a prospective study of 65 patients with different origins of their olfactory loss. Orthonasal olfactory function was assessed with the "Sniffin' Sticks" test (orthonasal score; maximal score 48) and retronasal olfactory function with odorized powders presented intraorally (retronasal score; maximal score 20). The OERPs were obtained after presentation of 2-phenyl ethyl alcohol, the selected olfactory stimulus. Causes of olfactory dysfunction included postinfectious olfactory loss (n = 15), head trauma (n = 26), nasal polyposis (n = 15), and mixed causes (idiopathic, toxic, drug induced) (n = 9). RESULTS: Based on orthonasal testing, 32 and 33 patients were diagnosed with anosmia and hyposmia, respectively. Twenty-two patients from the hyposmic group demonstrated reliable OERPs. No OERPs were recorded in the anosmic group. Prevalence of OERPs in a cohort of patients with olfactory dysfunction was 33.8% (22 of 65). Median score (expressed as the percentage of the maximal score that could be obtained theoretically) in which OERPs were recorded was 50% (24 of 48) with orthonasal testing and 80% (16 of 20) with retronasal testing. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with olfactory dysfunction usually demonstrate OERPs in one third of the cases. When olfactory dysfunction is in the range that separates normosmic subjects from anosmic patients, patients may have identifiable OERPs. Interpretation of both orthonasal and retronasal psychophysical olfactory testing should be supported by the recording of OERPs in a clinical setting.     

The olfactory function in the patients with the curved nasal septum before and after surgical treatment

The authors compared the frequency of subjective complains of hyposmia and results of objective study (olfactometry) in the patients with the curved nasal septum. In addition, the influence of septoplastic surgery on the olfactory function in such patients was estimated. The study included 40 patients aged from 18 to 59 years who examined by olfactometry with the use of the Sniffing sticks test. Subjective evaluation of the olfactory function was performed based on the 10-point visual analog scale. All the patients underwent septoplasty; olfactometry was repeated within 1 and 4 months after surgery. Sixty percent of the patients interviewed prior to the surgical treatment complained of compromised sense of smell. Olfactometry revealed this condition in 75% of the patients of whom 52.5% presented with hyposmia of the mixed type. Significant improvement of all parameters of the olfactory function was documented within 1 month after the surgical treatment. The results of estimation of certain parameters (differentiation, identification, overall olfactory index) suggest further recovery of the olfactory function during the next 4 months. It is concluded that normalization of the nasal breathing improves the function of the olfactory analyzer even though the complete recovery of the olfactory function is hardly possible in the patients presenting with the curved nasal septum prior to surgical treatment.     

Subjective improvement of olfactory function after endoscopic sinus surgery for chronic rhinosinusitis

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) on subjective olfactory dysfunction in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis.Materials and methods Prospective collection of data on consecutive patients undergoing FESS after failing prolonged medical therapy for chronic rhinosinusitis at a tertiary institution. Patients were asked to grade their olfactory dysfunction from 0 to 10, with 0 representing normal function and 10 complete anosmia. In addition, data such as computed tomography scores, presence or absence of nasal polyps, and the presence or absence of asthma were recorded and analyzed. Patients were followed up to 1 year after surgery. RESULTS: Data were collected on 178 patients who had sinus surgery over a 2-year period. The average olfactory dysfunction score before surgery was 4.9. This improved to 0.9 at 1 year after surgery (P =.00). Higher computed tomography scores as per Lund and MacKay correlated with higher olfactory dysfunction scores (r = 0.62, P <.01) and greater improvement after surgery (r = 0.82, P <.01). Asthmatics and patients with polyps had higher subjective olfactory dysfunction scores than nonasthmatics and patients without polyps (6.8 and 7.2 v 4.4 and 4.1, respectively). All groups had subjective improvement at 1 year (2.3 and 1.5 v 0.6 and 0.7, respectively; P =.00). CONCLUSION: Patients with subjective olfactory dysfunction despite appropriate medical management for rhinosinusitis benefit from FESS.     

Intranasal zinc and anosmia: the zinc-induced anosmia syndrome

OBJECTIVE: Commercial preparations of intranasal zinc gluconate gel are marketed as a remedy for the common cold. However, intranasal zinc has been reported as a cause of anosmia in humans and animals. Seventeen patients presenting with anosmia after the use of intranasal zinc gluconate are described. METHODS: The authors conducted a retrospective case series of patients presenting to a nasal dysfunction clinic and conducted complete history and physical examination on all patients, including nasal endoscopy. All patients underwent detailed odor threshold and identification testing. RESULTS: Threshold and identification testing revealed impaired olfaction in all patients. Inflammatory and traumatic causes of anosmia were excluded based on history, physical examination, and imaging. All patients diagnosed with zinc-induced anosmia or hyposmia reported sniffing deeply when applying the gel. This was followed by an immediate sensation of burning lasting minutes to hours. Loss of sense of smell was then perceived within 48 hours. Seven of 17 patients never developed symptoms of an upper respiratory infection. CONCLUSIONS: The zinc-induced anosmia syndrome, characterized by squirt, sniff, burn, and anosmia, occurs after the exposure of olfactory epithelium to zinc cation. It can be distinguished from postviral anosmia based on history.