Research article

Olfactory function following open rhinoplasty: A 6-month follow-up study

Hashem Shemshadi^1,3 , Mojtaba Azimian¹ , Mohammad Ali Onsori¹ and Mahdi AzizAbadi Farahani²

¹University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Department of Clinical Sciences and Speech Reconstructive Surgery, Tehran, Iran

²Medicine and Health Promotion Institute, Tehran, Iran

³Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Koodakyar Street, Daneshjoo Boulevard, Evin, Tehran, Iran

author email corresponding author email

BMC Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders 2008, 8:6doi:10.1186/1472-6815-8-6

Published:	3 October 2008

Abstract

Background

Patients undergoing any type of nasal surgery may experience degrees of postoperative olfactory dysfunction. We sought to investigate "when" the olfactory function recovers to its preoperative levels.

Methods

In this cohort design, 40 of 65 esthetic open rhinoplasty candidates with equal gender distribution, who met the inclusion criteria, were assessed for their olfactory function using the Smell Identification Test (SIT) with 40 familiar odors in sniffing bottles. All the patients were evaluated for the SIT scores preoperatively and postoperatively (at week 1, week 6, and month 6).

Results

At postoperative week one, 87.5% of the patients had anosmia, and the rest exhibited at least moderate levels of hyposmia. The anosmia, which was the dominant pattern at postoperative week 1, resolved and converted to various levels of hyposmia, so that no one at postoperative week 6 showed any such complain. At postoperative week six, 85% of the subjects experienced degrees of hyposmia, almost all being mild to moderate. At postoperative six month, the olfactory function had already reverted to the preoperative levels: no anosmia or moderate to severe hyposmia. A repeated ANOVA was indicative of significant differences in the olfactory function at the different time points. According to our post hoc Benfronney, the preoperative scores had a significant difference with those at postoperative week 1, week 6, but not with the ones at month 6.

Conclusion

Esthetic open rhinoplasty may be accompanied by some degrees of postoperative olfactory dysfunction. Patients need a time interval of 6 weeks to 6 months to fully recover their baseline olfactory function.