Olfaction in patients with nasal polyposis: effects of systemic steroids and radical ethmoidectomy with middle turbinate resection (nasalization).

AIM: In this prospective study the effect of medical and surgical treatment on subjective olfaction was studied in patients with nasal polyposis (NPS). The effects on nasal obstruction, anterior and posterior rhinorrhea, sneezing and itching are reported in another article in this issue.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Protocol 1. Twenty-four patients with NPS who complained about anosmia were treated with a 7-days course of systemic steroids. Their subjective overall sense of smell was determined with a visual analog scale (VAS) before treatment, immediately after treatment, and two months later. Subsequently all patients underwent surgery bilaterally according to the nasalization principles. The sense of smell was re-evaluated at 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months postoperatively. Protocol 2. Thirty-two patients with NPS not responding to medical therapy who, for different reasons, did not receive oral steroid treatment, received surgery only and were followed up during one year after nasalization. Of these patients, 25 were anosmic and 7 normosmic.

RESULTS: Protocol 1. Following the 7-day treatment with systemic steroids the olfactory score increased significantly. During the waiting time for surgery (64 +/- 39 days) this score deteriorated again in a significant way. One month after nasalization which included a depot injection of triamcinolone 80 mg the day after surgery, the olfactory score ameliorated again and remained stable at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. None of the patients reported any intake of systemic steroids during the one-year of follow-up. Statistically, there was a trend suggesting that the 12 month post-nasalization score was better than the immediate post-oral steroid score. A good correlation between the improvement of the sense of smell after 7 days of systemic steroids and one year after nasalization was found. Protocol 2 One month after the nasalization protocol, olfaction in patients of the hypo-anosmic group had improved considerably. Scores at 3, 6, 9, and 12 remained very stable. The sense of smell in the normosmic group did not change after surgery and remained stable during the year of follow-up. In total, 49 patients with a severe loss of smell showed a significant improvement at 12 months after surgery.

CONCLUSION: The present study shows that 1) long-lasting correction of olfactory dysfunction produced by nasal polyposis can be achieved through the combination of nasalization and low dose of nasal steroids, 2) middle turbinate resection does not alter the possibilities to restore the sense of smell.