Olfaction in Chronic Rhinosinusitis

Abstract

Olfactory dysfunction is a frequent complaint in chronic rhinosinusitis patients and has a significant impact on quality of life. Therefore, it is essential that clinicians are aware of the importance of olfactory dysfunction in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) patients and know how to deal with it. Notably, the evaluation of olfactory function (i.e., using psychophysical testing) and imagery of olfactory bulb play an important role in the evaluation of patients and give essential information about the "baseline" olfactory function. Because the high impact of olfactory function on quality of life and medical and/or surgical treatment should be proposed to patients. However, it remains difficult to predict the outcome of treatment as well as long-term efficacy. The first section of this review is dedicated to the assessment of olfactory function. Secondly, we will discuss the etiopathology of olfactory dysfunction in CRS with and without nasal polyps. Finally, we will review literature findings about the efficacy of different treatments on olfactory function.

Keywords: Chronic rhinosinusitis; Nasal polyps; Olfaction; Smell.