Factors associated with relevant olfactory recovery after olfactory training: a retrospective study including 601 participants.

OBJECTIVE: Olfactory training (OT) represents a therapeutic option for multiple etiologies of olfactory dysfunction (OD) that also benefits normosmic subjects. In this retrospective study, we report the effectiveness of OT and factors associated with relevant changes in olfactory function (OF) in large groups of normosmic participants and patients with OD, including a control group that performed no training. METHODS: This was a retrospective pooled analysis including 2 treatment cohorts of 8 previously published studies. Adult participants that either presented with the major complaint of quantitative OD or normosmic volunteers were recruited at various ENT clinics and received OT or no training. The outcome was based on changes in objective olfactory test scores after OT. RESULTS: A total of 601 patients with OD or normosmic subjects were included. OT was more effective compared to no training. No interaction was found between OT and OF. In multivariate analysis, higher baseline OF (adjusted odds ratio, aOR, 0.93) and posttraumatic (aOR, 0.29) or idiopathic OD (aOR, 0.18) compared to postinfectious causes were significantly associated with lower odds of relevant improvements in patients with OD receiving OT. Subgroup analysis of normosmic participants receiving OT further revealed a significant association of lower age and baseline olfactory function with improvements of overall OF. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that OT was more effective than no training in patients with various causes of OD. Additionally, baseline olfactory performance and etiology of OD were identified as important factors associated with relevant improvements after OT.

Factors associated with relevant olfactory recovery after olfactory training: a retrospective study including 601 participants.

BACKGROUND: Olfactory training (OT) represents a therapeutic option for multiple etiologies of olfactory dysfunction (OD) that also benefits normosmic subjects. In this retrospective study, we report the effectiveness of OT and factors associated with relevant changes in olfactory function (OF) in large groups of normosmic participants and patients with OD, including a control group that performed no training. METHODS: This was a retrospective pooled analysis including 2 treatment cohorts of 8 previously published studies. Adult partici- pants that either presented with the major complaint of quantitative OD or normosmic volunteers were recruited at various ENT clinics and received OT or no training. The outcome was based on changes in objective olfactory test scores after OT. RESULTS: A total of 601 patients with OD or normosmic subjects were included. OT was more effective compared to no training. No interaction was found between OT and OF. In multivariate analysis, higher baseline OF (adjusted odds ratio, aOR, 0.93) and posttraumatic (aOR, 0.29) or idiopathic OD (aOR, 0.18) compared to postinfectious causes were significantly associated with lower odds of relevant improvements in patients with OD receiving OT. Subgroup analysis of normosmic participants receiving OT further revealed a significant association of age and baseline olfactory function with improvements of overall OF. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that OT was more effective than no training in patients with various causes of OD. Additi- onally, baseline olfactory performance and etiology of OD were identified as important factors associated with relevant improve- ments after OT.

Trigeminal endonasal perception - an outcome predictor for septoplasty.

BACKGROUND: No adequate test exists to predict outcome after septoplasty. Despite adequate surgery, patients still might experience nasal breathing impairment. The aim of this study was to determine if pre-operative trigeminal sensitivity can predict satisfaction after septoplasty. METHODS: Single centre prospective cohort study in tertiary referral centre with follow-up time of 6 weeks postoperatively. Patients scheduled for septoplasty or septorhinoplasty with turbinoplasty were consecutively selected the day before surgery. Standard preoperative examinations (acoustic rhinometry and Sniffin’ Sticks 12 test), the evaluation of nasal obstruction on a visual analogue scale (VAS) and the trigeminal lateralisation task were performed before and 6 weeks after surgery. Biopsies were taken during surgery and TRPV1 mRNA expression was measured by PCR. RESULTS: Thirty patients were included with a median age of 29 years and equal gender distribution. Trigeminal perception and sensation of nasal obstruction showed a significant correlation: preoperative lateralisation test scores, representing endonasal trigeminal sensitivity, correlated significantly with the mean VAS change scores, which demonstrate subjective improvement. A lateralisation test score of 31.5 and more had a sensitivity of 88% to predict an improvement of more than 3 VAS points. Additionally, high TRPV1 mRNA expression was linked with good postoperative VAS scores. CONCLUSION: The preoperative evaluation of the trigeminal sensitivity could improve patients’ selection for septoplasty with a higher rate of satisfaction. Endonasal trigeminal sensitivity is directly linked with subjective outcome. Therefore, patients with low trigeminal sensitivity should undergo septoplasty only after thorough counselling.

Olfactory training changes electrophysiological responses at the level of the olfactory epithelium.

BACKGROUND: Olfactory training (OT) has been shown to increase olfactory performance in healthy subjects and patients with post-traumatic or post-infectious olfactory loss. Morphological correlates such as olfactory bulb volume increase and gray matter changes suggest central changes in olfactory brain areas following olfactory exposure. Some evidence from animal studies indicates peripheral changes upon OT whereas no such data exist in humans. This study explores the question whether changes in olfaction following OT are associated with alterations of the electro-olfactogram (EOG) derived from the olfactory epithelium. METHODOLOGY: We compared electrophysiological EOG responses to a pleasant, rose-like odor (phenylethyl alcohol, PEA) and to an unpleasant odor (rotten eggs, H2S) in patients and controls. EOG were recorded in smell impaired patients before and after OT for a period of 4-6 months. RESULTS: EOG recordings following PEA and H2S stimulation were significantly more often obtained in controls than in patients. OT was associated with a significantly higher number of EOG recordings. CONCLUSIONS: OT is associated with an increase in EOG responses implicating stimulus-induced plasticity to start at the level of the olfactory epithelium.

Trigeminal sensitivity in chronic rhinosinusitis: topographical differences and the effect of surgery.

INTRODUCTION: Little is known on endonasal trigeminal sensitivity in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). The aim of our study was to investigate changes in trigeminal sensitivity in patients with CRSwNP and the effect of functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) on trigeminal perception. METHODS: A prospective study was performed to investigate the trigeminal sensitivity at three different locations within the nose (anterior septum, anterior lateral wall, middle turbinate) using electrical stimuli. Therefore 45 CRSwNP patients were compared to 30 healthy subjects. Further, the effect of FESS was investigated in 31 patients before and 3 months after surgery. RESULTS: CRSwNP patients had a significantly higher trigeminal threshold at all tested locations than healthy subjects. The lowest trigeminal detection threshold could be shown at the entrance of the nose in healthy subjects and in patients with CRSwNP. Three months after FESS a significant improvement of trigeminal detection threshold was observed at the anterior nasal septum. CONCLUSION: Protective function of the trigeminal system is preserved in CRSwNP patients. FESS seems to show beneficial effects on restoring sentinel function at the entrance of the nose.

Severe open subtalar dislocations. Long-term results.

Fifteen adolescents and adults were assessed an average of eighteen years after a type-III open subtalar dislocation. There were ten lateral and five medial dislocations. Associated injuries included ten injuries of the tibial nerve, seven of which were complicated by causalgia; five ruptures of the posterior tibial tendon; five lacerations of the posterior tibial artery; twelve articular fractures involving the subtalar joint; three articular fractures of the talonavicular joint; three fractures of the talar dome; and three malleolar fractures. Osteonecrosis of the body of the talus was found in five of the fifteen patients. It was treated with a triple arthrodesis in all five patients, one of whom had a subsequent conversion to a pantalar arthrodesis. Subtalar arthrodesis was done, because of post-traumatic osteoarthrosis, in two other patients. On functional assessment at the long-term follow-up examination, all patients reported some pain in the ankle, nine had difficulty climbing stairs, fourteen had difficulty walking on uneven surfaces, and eleven wore modified shoes. The patients who had had a tarsal arthrodesis returned to their pre-injury occupation or to a less strenuous job. Four patients who had persistent causalgia did not return to work. We concluded that open subtalar dislocation is a distinctly severe injury and that only fair functional and poor anatomical results can be expected in most patients.

The use of magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis of pigmented villonodular synovitis.

Although the clinical and radiographic features of pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVS) have been well described, diagnosis is often delayed and high rates of recurrence after synovectomy are reported. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been shown to be useful in the diagnosis of soft tissue masses. Three patients with biopsy-proven PVS and radiographs showing only effusion underwent MRI in the axial, coronal, and sagittal planes. The margins of the diseased synovium were best demonstrated on long TR/TE (T2-weighted) images. The synovium contained areas of void signal intensity felt to be due to hemosiderin, interspersed with increased signal from both inflammation and fat. In all cases, the margins of the diseased synovium were clearly delineated, allowing classification as nodular or diffuse. No appreciable change in signal intensity was seen when comparing nodular and diffuse forms. MRI is useful but not specific for PVS, since rheumatoid synovitis may show a similar signal pattern. However, MRI in patients with suspected PVS may decrease the time until diagnosis, aid in preoperative planning and obtaining adequate margins of resection, and may be a non-invasive method of long-term follow up for possible recurrence.

Bone-grafting in total hip arthroplasty for protrusio acetabuli. A follow-up note.

The results of total hip arthroplasty with the use of medial and superior bone-graft augmentation in thirty-nine hips (thirty-two patients) that had protrusio acetabuli were previously reported after two to eight years (mean, 4.7 years) of follow-up. We followed the surviving patients for 10.9 to 17.4 years (mean, 12.8 years). The average Harris hip-rating was 72 points--an average drop of 17 points since the previous report. The average was 64 points for patients who had rheumatoid arthritis and 83 points for those who had another diagnosis. Radiographic evaluation demonstrated definite, probable, and possible loosening in about 20, 10, and 60 per cent of the hips, respectively. Of the six hips that had definite loosening, four (10 per cent of the total series) had progression of the protrusion (acetabular migration); operative revision was performed on two of those four hips and on two other hips, in which progression had ceased. Hips that had progressive protrusion demonstrated superior migration more often than medial migration. The rates of loosening and revision were similar to those in hips that did not have protrusio acetabuli. We concluded that augmentation of total hip arthroplasty with bone-grafting is effective in arresting the progression of protrusio acetabuli in most hips (90 per cent in our series).

Radiographic measurements in protrusio acetabuli.

The radiographic data of 48 hips in 40 patients with painful, progressive protrusio acetabuli treated with cemented total hip arthroplasty and medial acetabular reinforcement using autologous or homologous bone grafts were reviewed. Twelve separate measurements were performed on the preoperative, postoperative, and most recent radiographs of each case to determine which measurements were the most useful in diagnosing protrusio acetabuli and in following preoperative and postoperative migration. The minimum follow-up period was 10 years (mean, 12.3 years). Vertical migration and horizontal distance, two measurements utilizing an X-Y coordinate system based on the acetabular teardrop, were found to be most useful. The cases with postoperative progression demonstrated vertical migration more often than medial migration.