2019 Volume 68 Issue 2 Pages 302-307
Olfactory examination is important to evaluate the extent of olfactory dysfunction and the effectiveness of treatment. In this study, we reviewed 1,472 patients who had examined olfaction with T&T olfactometer. The most common illnesses of these patients were chronic rhinosinusitis (56.3%), post-infectious olfactory dysfunction (13.9%), and trauma (4.4%). We divided into two groups; “normosmia to moderate hyposmia” and “severe hyposmia to anosmia”, and compared the severity and the outcome of treatment in each disease. There were more often to have the sever olfactory dysfunction in patients with head trauma significantly (80.5%; p < 0.05). It is significantly more likely to show “no improvement or worsening” (65.9%; p < 0.05) and rarely showed improvement in the patients with head trauma. Olfactory examination has been used by medical technologists since a partial revision in 2015 of the “Law Concerning Medical Technologists, Public Health Laboratory Technologists and Other Related Personnel” but is rarely used at medical institutions. However, olfactory examination is important to suggest the treatment and to bring out the patient’s willingness for undergoing the treatment. We expect that olfactory examination will be used more and contribute to the diagnosis and the outcome of the treatment for olfactory dysfunction.
