Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Observational Study
. 2023 Aug;13(8):1511-1517.
doi: 10.1002/alr.23115. Epub 2022 Dec 15.

Will nasal airway surgery improve my sense of smell? A prospective observational study

Grant S Gillman  1 , Anna E Bakeman  1 , Ryan J Soose  1 , Eric W Wang  1 , Barry M Schaitkin  1 , Stella E Lee  2 , Yue-Fang Chang  3 , Mark M Mims  4
Affiliations
Observational Study

Will nasal airway surgery improve my sense of smell? A prospective observational study

Grant S Gillman et al. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol. 2023 Aug.

Abstract

Background: The effect of nasal airway surgery on olfaction has not been well established. The goal of this study is to assess changes in olfaction after septoplasty with inferior turbinate reduction through both objective and patient-reported measures.

Methods: Prospective, observational study was conducted of patients with nasal airway obstruction presenting between July 2017 and October 2019 who underwent septoplasty with inferior turbinate reduction. Nasal airflow was characterized with the Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) scale and an 11-point ease-of-breathing (EOB) Likert scale, and olfaction with an 11-point olfactory Likert scale and the 40-item University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT), pre- and postoperatively. Pearson correlations were used to assess the relationship between measures of nasal obstruction and olfaction.

Results: Among 80 patients, mean NOSE scores improved from 67.4 preoperatively to 19.6 postoperatively (p < 0.001). EOB Likert scores improved from a mean of 3.9/10 to 8.1/10 after surgery (p < 0.001). Olfactory Likert scores improved from a baseline of 6.1/10 preoperatively to 7.9/10 after surgery (p < 0.001). No statistically significant difference was noted in UPSIT testing pre- versus postoperatively. A moderate correlation was noted between the degree of change in NOSE scores and improved olfactory Likert scores (r = 0.51, p < 0.001), and similarly between the degree of change in EOB Likert scores and improved olfactory Likert scores (r = 0.55, p < 0.0001).

Conclusions: Based on our data, subjective tests of olfaction may improve with nasal airway surgery in some patients. Changes in olfaction best correlate with the extent to which surgery can improve subjective nasal obstructive symptoms.

Keywords: olfaction; patient-reported outcome measure; quality of life.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Damm M. Intranasal volume and olfactory function. Chem Senses. 2002;27(9):831-839.
    1. Masala C, KäEhling C, Fall F, Hummel T. Correlation between olfactory function, trigeminal sensitivity, and nasal anatomy in healthy subjects. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2019;276(6):1649-1654.
    1. Zhao K. Effect of anatomy on human nasal air flow and odorant transport patterns: implications for olfaction. Chem Senses. 2004;29(5):365-379.
    1. Valsamidis K, Printza A, Titelis K, Constantinidis J, Triaridis S. Olfaction and quality of life in patients with nasal septal deviation treated with septoplasty. Am J Otolaryngol. 2019;40(5):747-754.
    1. Delank KW, Stoll W. Olfactory function after functional endoscopic sinus surgery for chronic sinusitis. Rhinology. 1998;36(1):15-19.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources