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
. 2022 Dec 2;12(1):20819.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-25282-3.

Correlation analysis of flow parameters in the olfactory cleft and olfactory function

Shuo Wu  1 , Peiji Wang  2 , Dielai Xie  3 , Feitong Jian  4
Affiliations

Correlation analysis of flow parameters in the olfactory cleft and olfactory function

Shuo Wu et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

The olfaction is related to flow in the olfactory cleft. However, There is a lack of studies on the relationship between flow characteristics of the olfactory cleft and olfactory function. In this study, the anatomical structure of the olfactory cleft was reconstructed in three dimensions using the raw data obtained from the CT scans of sinuses of 32 enrolled volunteers. The Sniffin' Sticks test was used to examine the olfaction. We investigated the correlation between airflow parameters and olfactory function of the olfactory cleft in healthy adults by the computational fluid dynamics method. We found that three parameters, airflow, airflow velocity, and airflow ratio, were highly positively correlated with olfactory function. The mean pressure was not correlated with the olfactory function. Furthermore, there is the strongest correlation between air flow through the olfactory cleft and olfactory function. The correlation between the mean velocity in the anterior olfactory cleft region and olfaction was relatively poor, while the airflow velocity at the posterior olfactory cleft region was enhanced gradually. The correlation between the airflow ratio and olfaction was optimal in the initial position of superior turbinate. The flow parameters in the posterior olfactory cleft area were more stable.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Overall sagittal segmentation view of the cross-sectional system. (A) Sagittal section view; (B) cross-sectional airflow system division (1–10 represents 10 cross-sectional systems; IT: inferior turbinate, MT: middle turbinate, ST: superior turbinate). (created by ANSYS 17.0: Academic Teaching Mechanical and CFD, ANSYS END USER CERTIFICATE, Sun Yat-sen University(#1016974)).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Airflow velocity diagram in the olfactory cleft area (plane1N- plane10N represent ten cross-sectional systems). (A) The airflow velocity of the right olfactory cleft; (B) The airflow velocity of the left side of the olfactory cleft.c:the airflow velocity of the initial plane of the left olfactory fissure. (created by ANSYS 17.0: Academic Teaching Mechanical and CFD, ANSYS END USER CERTIFICATE, Sun Yat-sen University(#1016974)).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Range of statistical values of fluid characteristic parameters in the olfactory cleft region (created by Matlab R2021a, https://software.sysu.edu.cn/matlabhome).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Airflow streamline in sagittal position(created by ANSYS 17.0: Academic Teaching Mechanical and CFD, ANSYS END USER CERTIFICATE, Sun Yat-sen University(#1016974)).
Figure 5
Figure 5
The correlation between airflow parameters and TDI score(created by Matlab R2021a, https://software.sysu.edu.cn/matlabhome).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Aydoğdu I, Atar Y, et al. Comparison of olfactory function and quality of life with different surgical techniques for nasal septum deviation. J. Craniofac. Surg. 2019;30(2):433–436. doi: 10.1097/SCS.0000000000005109. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Othieno F, Schlosser RJ, Storck KA, et al. Retronasal olfaction in chronic rhinosinusitis. Laryngoscope. 2018;128:2437–2442. doi: 10.1002/lary.27187. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kikuta S, Matsumoto Y, Kuboki A, Nakayama T, Asaka D, Otori N, et al. Longer latency of sensory response to intravenous odor injection predicts olfactory neural disorder. Sci. Rep. 2016;6:35361. doi: 10.1038/srep35361. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Nakashima T, Kidera K, Miyazaki J, Kuratomi Y, Inokuchi A. Smell intensity monitoring using metal oxide semiconductor odor sensors during intravenous olfaction test. Chem. Senses. 2006;31:43–47. doi: 10.1093/chemse/bjj004. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Vandenhende-Szymanski C, Hochet B, et al. Olfactory cleft opacity and CT score are predictive factors of smell recovery after surgery in nasal polyposis. Rhinology. 2015;53(1):29–34. doi: 10.4193/Rhino14.160. - DOI - PubMed