A Clinical Study of Olfactory Disturbance

Abstract

A series of 97 consecutive patients with olfactory disturbance was studied clinically. The severity and treatment were correlated with the etiology: common cold, rhinosinusitis, nasal allergy, trauma, drug-induced, unknown origin, etc. These patients were seen in the out-patient clinic of the department of Otolaryngology, University of Tokyo, from 1986 to 1988. The diagnosis of olfactory disturbance was based on a full history, careful inspection and roentgenographic examination of the nose and paranasal sinuses. Tomography and a rigid endoscope with an outside diameter of 1.7 mm were used for observation of the olfactory cleft. A standard olfactory test and an intravenous olfaction test were used not only for estimating the degree of olfactory disturbance and the prognosis, but also for obtaining reference data for diagnosis of the lesion. Steroid hormones in the form of nasal drops were administered to patients in the head down position as the basic treatment. © 1989, The Society of Practical Otolaryngology. All rights reserved.