Effects of the Improvement of Nasal Obstruction on the Sense of Smell

Abstract

In this study, the effects of reductions in nasal obstruction by endonasal surgery on the sense of smell were exarmined by an intravenous olfaction test using thiamine propyl disulfide (TPD). Ten cases of nasal obstruction (5 cases of chronic sinusitis 2 cases of hypertrophic rhinitis and 3 cases of allergic rhinitis) were treated surgically from January,1997 to November,1997. Among 8 cases that became conscious of an improvement in nasal obstruction, duration time was prolonged in 5cases, while latent time was shortened in 7 cases, in the intravenous olfaction test. The findings in this study suggested that the improvement of nasl obstruction by the endonasal surgery involving, the removal of the barrier to the olfactory mucosa, contributed to a reduction in the time required to perceive a smell.