Olfactory Change Pattern After Endoscopic Sinus Surgery In Chronic Rhinosinusitis With Olfactory Dysfunction

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.Observational study.Second Hospital of Shandong University, China, from December 2014 to January 2016.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.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.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.