Abstract
Olfactory mucosa in two patients with olfactory disturbances following head trauma were examined by immunohistochemistry. In two cases, neuron-specific enolase (NSE) immunoreactivity was not found in the olfactory epithelium. Glia-specific S-100 protein(S-100) reactivity was seen in asmall number of disorganized Bowman's glands and nerve bundles in the lamina propria. Cytokeratin (CK) immunoreactivity was found in the basal cells which occupied the lower half of the epithelium. In these cases, functional olfactory receptor cells disappeared and epithelium degenerated. These results indicate that the prognosis of post-traumatic anosmia is poor and that regeneration of receptor cells does not occur in humans. Olfactory mucosal biopsy and its immunohistochemical examination are useful to detect the olfactory function objectively and to justify the prognosis.
