Abstract
The opacification of the olfactory cleft (OC) has been associated with birhinal orthonasal olfaction in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). The aim of this study was to determine the associations between monorhinal and birhinal orthonasal, and retronasal olfaction with radiological markers of the OC in a cohort of patients with CRS. Results were analyzed in a CRS-cohort including 13 patients with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP) and 12 patients with non-eosinophilic CRS (non-eCRS). Monorhinal and birhinal orthonasal olfactory function, and OC-air volume were higher in non-eCRS compared CRSwNP. OC-opacification was also higher in CRSwNP compared to non-eCRS. In the entire CRS-cohort, those with higher OC-opacification showed significantly lower orthonasal and retronasal olfactory test results compared to those with lower OC-opacification across all three coronal planes. Similarly, higher unilateral OC-opacification was also associated with lower ipsilateral orthonasal olfactory function. Correlation analysis further revealed a positive correlation between monorhinal and birhinal orthonasal olfaction with ipsilateral and overall OC-air volume. Likewise, birhinal and monorhinal orthonasal, and retronasal olfactory test results correlated negatively with the overall and ipsilateral Lund-Mackay scores. Monorhinal and birhinal orthonasal, and retronasal olfactory function were lower in CRS patients with higher ipsilateral and overall OC-opacification compared to those with lower OC-opacification.
Highlights
Olfactory dysfunction (OD) is an important condition with significant impact on quality of life (QOL), which is quite common in the general population with a prevalence of 15–25% [1,2,3,4,5]
We showed that higher olfactory cleft (OC)-opacification was associated with lower orthonasal and retronasal olfactory function
We showed that unilateral OC-opacification was associated with lower ipsilateral orthonasal olfactory function
Summary
Olfactory dysfunction (OD) is an important condition with significant impact on quality of life (QOL), which is quite common in the general population with a prevalence of 15–25% [1,2,3,4,5]. OD is even more important in certain subsets of patients, such as those with inflammatory sinus disease, for example chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), in whom an impairment of the sense of smell is one of the four major symptoms and may be prevalent in up to 84% of cases [6]. This cardinal sign may often go unnoticed during clinical assessment (if not tested comprehensively), as the degree of complaint can be less pronounced in a gradual (as in sinonasal disease) versus a sudden onset Retronasal olfaction contributes to our multisensory flavor perception to a large extent [9]
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