Open AccessOlfaction after endoscopic sinus surgery: long-term results
Author(s) -
Hans Rudolf Briner,
Nick Jones,
Daniel Simmen
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
rhinology (amsterdam. online)/rhinology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.275
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1996-8604
pISSN - 0300-0729
DOI - 10.4193/rhino11.213
Subject(s) - medicine , olfaction , chronic rhinosinusitis , endoscopic sinus surgery , visual analogue scale , surgery , functional endoscopic sinus surgery , sinus (botany) , olfactory system , nasal polyps , sinusitis , biology , genus , botany , neuroscience , psychiatry
Loss of olfactory function is one of the main symptoms in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis. This prospective, non-randomized interventional study reports five years results of olfaction of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis who underwent endoscopic sinus surgery in conjunction with topical medical treatment. Forty-five patients with chronic rhinosinusitis who underwent endoscopic sinus surgery were evaluated preoperatively, after three months and 34 (76%) of them after five years. Olfactory function was assessed by a subjective visual analogue scale, by a screening test of olfaction with Smell Diskettes and by measuring the N-Butanol threshold. Patient`s subjective sense of olfaction using a visual analogue scale was improved in 79% at 5 years. Objective measurements by Smell Diskettes improved in 53% at 5 years whilst the quantitative measurement by the N-Butanol threshold improved in 85% at 5 years. The high percentage of patients with improvement of olfaction five years after surgery indicates that endoscopic sinus surgery in conjunction with continued topical treatment leads to a long term improvement of the sense of smell. However, it was found that - measured by the sensitive N-Butanol threshold - up to 9% had no improvement and 6% had deterioration in their olfaction at 5 years after endoscopic sinus surgery. This fact has to be considered in the preoperative counselling of patients.