Earlier intervention to correct anosmia?
Reviewed by Sangeeta Maini & Bhaskar Ram

This is an interesting study aimed to determine the timing for successful surgical intervention in improving the sense of smell in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). A total of 86 CRSwNP patients with loss of smell and undergoing functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) were recruited consecutively. The self-reported duration of smell loss before treatment was recorded. Olfactory function was recorded before and after FESS using the Japanese standard olfactory threshold test (T&T olfactometry). Only 57/86 patients demonstrated recovery of olfaction, with the average recovery time being 2.6 weeks. Interestingly it was noted that 4.5 years of smell loss was the cut-off point for recovery of smell following FESS. Not surprisingly, the study suggests that FESS in CRSwNP patients with olfactory impairment for less than 4.5 years may lead to improvement in olfaction. Perhaps the non-recovery after 4.5 years of anosmia is an indication of disuse atrophy of the olfactory region of the brain. The study only reiterates what seems intuitive, that early surgery has a better chance of smell recovery.

Self-reported course of olfactory impairment determines outcome for successful surgical intervention in nasal polyps with anosmia.
Zhang W, Meng Y, Wang C, et al.
ACTA OTO-LARYNGOL
2020;140(12):1021-7.