Premium
Determination of Retronasal Olfactory Threshold Values
Author(s) -
Özay Hüseyin,
Çetin Aslı Çakır,
Ecevit Mustafa Cenk
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
the laryngoscope
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1531-4995
pISSN - 0023-852X
DOI - 10.1002/lary.29395
Subject(s) - odor , olfactory system , audiology , olfaction , receiver operating characteristic , hyposmia , sensory threshold , detection threshold , medicine , pathology , psychology , neuroscience , psychiatry , disease , covid-19 , real time computing , computer science , infectious disease (medical specialty) , cognitive science
Objectives/Hypothesis The aim of this study was to generate normative data of retronasal olfactory threshold values for normosmic and hyposmic individuals and to test the validity of that data by determining the discriminative power for normosmic/hyposmic differentiation. Study Design Prospective, descriptive and methodological study. Methods The orthonasal olfactory function of 20 normosmic and 20 hyposmic cases was evaluated using the Sniffin' Sticks Olfactory test. Sniffin' Sticks odor threshold, odor discrimination, and odor identification values and threshold discrimination identification (TDI) scores were recorded. A 13‐item test battery previously prepared in our Rhinology Laboratory for retronasal olfactory threshold test that consisted of concentrated solutions prepared from 2:1 diluted 99% phenylethyl alcohol (PEA) and water was used. Each concentration was evaluated with water control, and if not answered correctly, the same process was continued by moving to a higher concentration series. Four consecutive correct answers were determined as the patient's retronasal olfactory threshold. Results A strong correlation was found between Sniffin' Sticks TDI scores and retronasal odor threshold values in the normosmic group ( P < .001, r:0.67). A very strong correlation was found between Sniffin' Sticks TDI scores and retronasal olfactory threshold values in the hyposmic group ( P < .001, r:0.81). Furthermore, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis revealed that the sensitivity and the specificity of normosmic/hyposmic differentiation of retronasal olfactory threshold test was 95% and 100%, respectively. The diagnostic cutoff value was 8.5. Conclusions This study shows that the retronasal olfactory test, a psychophysical odor test performed using an orally presented stimulus, can be used to differentiate normosmic and hyposmic cases. Level of Evidence 3 Laryngoscope , 131:1608–1614, 2021