Evaluating long-term smell or taste dysfunction in mildly symptomatic COVID-19 patients: a 3-year follow-up study.

INTRODUCTION: No studies have reported data on 3-year prevalence and recovery rates of self-reported COVID-19-related olfactory and gustatory dysfunction. The aim of the present study was to estimate the 3-year prevalence and recovery rate of self-reported COVID-19-related chemosensory dysfunction in a cohort of patients with antecedent mild COVID-19. METHODS: This is a prospective observational study, measuring the prevalence of altered sense of smell or taste at follow-up and their variation from baseline, on adult patients consecutively assessed at Treviso and Trieste University Hospitals, who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA by polymerase chain reaction during March 2020. RESULTS: Overall, out of 403 respondents, 267 patients (66.3%) reported an altered sense of smell or taste (SNOT-22 > 0) at baseline, while 56 (13.9%), 29 (7.2%), and 21 (5.2%) reported such alterations at 6-24 months, 2 years, and 3 years, respectively. Among the 267 patients with COVID-19-associated smell or taste dysfunction at baseline, 246 (92.1%) reported complete resolution at 3 years. Of the patients who still experienced smell or taste dysfunction 2 years after COVID-19, 27.6% and 37.9% recovered completely and partially, respectively, at the 3-year follow-up. CONCLUSION: Among subjects with antecedent mildly symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, the 3-year prevalence and recovery rate of COVID-19-related alteration in sense of smell or taste was 5% and 92%, respectively. In approximately two-thirds of patients experiencing chemosensory dysfunction still 2 years after COVID-19, it is still possible to observe a delayed complete or partial recovery after a period of 3 years, while the remaining one-third of individuals continues to have unchanged persistent chemosensory alteration.

Evaluation of Surgical Outcome in Rhinoplasty: A Comparison Between Rasp and Osteotome in Dorsal Hump Removal.

Dorsal hump reduction is a crucial point of rhinoplasty, as it has a great impact on the final shape of nasal pyramid. Depending on morphological features of the hump, its removal is usually obtained by the use of an osteotome or a rasp. In our study, we describe a closed rhinoplasty technique performed in 2 groups of patients: the only difference between the groups is the surgical tools used during the dorsal hump removal phase (rasp vs the 5-mm osteotome).We used 2 questionnaires of quality of life (QoL), Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE), and Rhinoplasty Outcome Evaluation (ROE) questionnaire, to evaluate postoperative outcome (6 months after surgery).Closed rhinoplasty was performed in 107 patients. Dorsal hump removal was carried out with rasp on 35 patients; while in 72 cases, it was performed using a 5-mm osteotome. All the patients were given 2 copies of NOSE and ROE questionnaires (1 month before surgery and 6 months after surgery) to evaluate postoperative QoL. In our study emerged that the use of osteotome in dorsal hump reduction is associated with a better aesthetic outcome (evaluated by analyzing patients QoL with ROE questionnaire) without any difference between the 2 groups in terms of functional outcome (expressed by NOSE questionnaire), major and minor complications and surgical procedure duration.

Cochlear Implant Surgery: How to Fix Receiver/Stimulator Avoiding Extrusion.

Cochlear implant (CI) surgery is generally safe and associated with a limited number of complications, among which the extrusion of the receiver/stimulator (R/S) or the electrode misplacement and migration might require a CI re-implantation. The aim of this pilot study is to describe a new technique to firmly fix the R/S using the Mitek suture anchors system (Depuy Mitek Surgical Products, Inc. Raynham, Massachusetts). We tested two different models and in our experience, the web of suture created with this device can improve the stability of the bond of the R/S to the underlying curved bone surface. So, this system resulted in a less laborious manner keeping low the complication rate.