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CRSwNP and smell – is it just the obstruction?

Anosmia and hyposmia are symptoms of CRS both with and without nasal polyps and can significantly affect quality of life. The nature of anosmia/hyposmia is thought to be both sensory-neural and conductive. These authors studied a mouse model in which...

Leeway: Reaching Beyond Expectations

Leeway is a book that takes us through an 80-year journey of one man’s determination, ambition and unbelievable achievements. Prof KJ Lee, as he is known to many today, was born in Malaya in 1940. Ahchu, ‘sweet potato’ in Malaysian,...

Smell and mental health

This national survey from Korea asked questions about many aspects of health and one of these was about sense of smell. The prevalence of olfactory problems was 5% in the adult group surveyed, and other studies would suggest that this...

Treatment of olfactory dysfunction

The sense of smell is crucial to our being able to relish food and experience our environment. Olfactory dysfunction has been trivialised or ignored previously, but the negative consequences of the loss of sense of smell are being increasingly highlighted....

Improving smell outcomes after sinus surgery: impregnated dressings?

There is much we can do to improve the airway of patients with chronic sinus disease, especially those with polyps. However, the olfactory outcomes are usually disappointing and patients miss this important sensory modality, which has an effect on their...

Persistent symptoms of smell loss after COVID-19 infection

Anosmia as a result of COVID-19 infection is well recognised. This timely and topical French paper looks at 115 patients with proven SARS-CoV-2 infection, who were contacted with specific questions about olfactory and gustatory disturbance. They found 81% of patients...

How much does FESS improve the sense of smell?

We are all familiar with patients who undergo a seemingly successful FESS but, in spite of this, have persistent smell dysfunction postoperatively. This study compares a surgical group with a control group, measuring olfactory function pre and postoperatively using Sniffin...

A new idea for olfactory recovery, but not the evidence to support it

Smell training for olfactory loss of all types is a well-recognised treatment, and the typical regimen of rose, clove, lemon and eucalyptus is frequently used. This study looks to compare using eight essences rather than four to see if this...