Objective: To determine the change pattern of olfactory function in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) with olfactory dysfunction after endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS), and its association with inspection scores.
Study design: Observational study.
Place and duration of study: Second Hospital of Shandong University, China, from December 2014 to January 2016.
Methodology: Thirty-four CRS with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) patients and 14 CRS without nasal polyps (CRSsNP) patients were evaluated preoperatively by T&T olfactory test, olfactory VAS test, SNOT-20score and Lund-Mackay CT score. Outcomes were re-evaluated at 1 month, 3 months and 6 months postoperatively.
Results: Both olfactory and SNOT-20 scores showed significant improvement within 6 months in both CRSwNP and CRSsNP groups. Patients with anosmia in T&T test showed the largest degree of improvement. No significant recovery of olfactory dysfunction was observed at 1 month and 3 months in CRSsNP groups postoperative. In CRSwNP, the olfactory scores were correlated with the CT scores significantly (r=0.649, p<0.001; r=0.625, p<0.001). However, no correlation was found between the SNOT-20 score and olfactory score preoperatively.
Conclusion: Our study has confirmed that the therapeutic effects of ESS on olfactory function last for up to 6 months, particularly in patients with CRSwNP. Although the therapeutic effects plateaued at 3 months postoperatively, the olfactory function continues to recover between 3 and 6 months.