Potential application of electronic odor diffuser in olfaction testing.

OBJECTIVE: Different olfactory tests have been performed by otorhinolaryngologists in different parts of the world. For example, the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) has been used in the U.S., whereas the Sniffin' Sticks Test has been used in Europe, and similarly, T&T olfactometry is used in Japan. Although audiometers with electronic oscillators have long been used in hearing tests, electronic odor generators are not typically used in olfaction tests. We attempted an olfactory test using the AROMASTIC® (SONY, Tokyo, Japan), an electronically controlled device that can diffuse five different odors. METHODS: Forty participants who had visited an outpatient olfactory clinic were included in this study. The participants were instructed to answer whether they could smell the five different odors during the AROMASTIC® screening test (AS-test), and the number of odors smelled was summed and scored (AS-score). The patients also underwent T&T olfactometry concurrently. RESULTS: The AS-scores and T&T olfactometry detection and recognition thresholds showed significant correlations, confirming that the AS-test is a valid olfactory test. CONCLUSION: Electronic odor diffusers may be useful for olfaction tests.

Thermography for the Diagnosis of Acute Inflammation in the Paranasal Sinus

Abstract Introduction Although computed tomography scanning is the most common method for the diagnosis of sinusitis today, X-ray imaging is still used in outpatient clinics. Because X-ray imaging is beneficial for patients with severe sinusitis but not for those with mild sinusitis, an alternative method to visualize sinusitis without X-ray imaging is desirable. Objective To study the possibility of using thermography to visualize sinusitis. Methods In the present study, heat distribution on the faces of individuals with and without sinusitis was studied using thermography. Overall, 10 control subjects and 20 patients with sinusitis were included. Original thermography data were cropped, resized, and converted to relative thermography data based on the average temperature for visualization and statistical analysis. Results The shape of the maxillary and/or frontal sinuses was determined based on regions indicating increased temperature in patients with sinusitis. The region with increasing temperature was statistically visualized, and the significant side (t test, p<0.05) coincided with the maxillary shadow on X-ray imaging. Conclusion Thermography demonstrates visually the correlation between the surface temperature of the face and inflammation patterns in the paranasal sinus. Therefore, our comparative study using thermography to visually differentiate individuals with and without sinusitis was effective, indicating that thermography is a possible alternative to X-ray imaging to detect sinusitis.

Thermography for the Diagnosis of Acute Inflammation in the Paranasal Sinus.

Introduction Although computed tomography scanning is the most common method for the diagnosis of sinusitis today, X-ray imaging is still used in outpatient clinics. Because X-ray imaging is beneficial for patients with severe sinusitis but not for those with mild sinusitis, an alternative method to visualize sinusitis without X-ray imaging is desirable. Objective To study the possibility of using thermography to visualize sinusitis. Methods In the present study, heat distribution on the faces of individuals with and without sinusitis was studied using thermography. Overall, 10 control subjects and 20 patients with sinusitis were included. Original thermography data were cropped, resized, and converted to relative thermography data based on the average temperature for visualization and statistical analysis. Results The shape of the maxillary and/or frontal sinuses was determined based on regions indicating increased temperature in patients with sinusitis. The region with increasing temperature was statistically visualized, and the significant side ( t test, p < 0.05) coincided with the maxillary shadow on X-ray imaging. Conclusion Thermography demonstrates visually the correlation between the surface temperature of the face and inflammation patterns in the paranasal sinus. Therefore, our comparative study using thermography to visually differentiate individuals with and without sinusitis was effective, indicating that thermography is a possible alternative to X-ray imaging to detect sinusitis.

Mumps virus may damage the vestibular nerve as well as the inner ear.

We report a case of mumps deafness with acute vestibular symptoms secondary to both retrolabyrinthine and inner ear dysfunction. To our knowledge, no such case has been reported elsewhere. The patient was a 6-year-old girl in whom mumps deafness was initially diagnosed. Two days after onset of the hearing impairment, severe vertigo developed. Neurotologic examinations revealed spontaneous right-beating nystagmus, left canal paresis, absence of vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials in the left ear, and absence of responses to a left galvanic body sway test (GBST). The vertigo resolved 7 days after onset. However, the left hearing impairment progressed to complete deafness. Six months later, left canal paresis was still present, but bilateral GBST responses were normal, suggesting that retrolabyrinthine vestibular function had been restored. Mumps virus may affect retrolabyrinthine function as well as the inner ear.