Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39385671›Full record

ArticleInternational forum of allergy & rhinology2025

Orthonasal and retronasal olfactory function in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyps undergoing endoscopic sinonasal surgery.

Paolo Boscolo-Rizzo, Claire Hopkins, Thomas Hummel, Anna Menini, Francesco Uderzo, Giulia Provenza, Giacomo Spinato, Enzo Emanuelli, Giancarlo Tirelli

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International forum of allergy & rhinology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Paolo Boscolo-RizzoDepartment of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, Section of Otolaryngology, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
Claire HopkinsENT Department, Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals, London, UK.
Thomas HummelSmell & Taste Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Technical University of Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
Anna MeniniNeurobiology Group, SISSA, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati, Trieste, Italy.
Francesco UderzoDepartment of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, Section of Otolaryngology, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
Giulia ProvenzaDepartment of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, Section of Otolaryngology, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
Giacomo SpinatoDepartment of Neurosciences, Section of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Padova, Treviso, Italy.
Enzo EmanuelliDepartment of Neurosciences, Section of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Padova, Treviso, Italy.
Giancarlo TirelliDepartment of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, Section of Otolaryngology, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.

Funding

PRIN 202297W2H3
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundOlfactory dysfunction (OD) is a key symptom of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). Although extensively studied in CRS with nasal polyps (CRSwNP), OD in CRS without nasal polyps (CRSsNP) remains under-researched. This study aims to assess the prevalence of OD and its evolution in surgically naïve patients with CRSsNP undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS).

methodsThis prospective study included 97 participants with CRSsNP (mean age, 46.5 years; 70.1% men) and 97 healthy controls (mean age, 46.5 years; 70.1% men). Participants underwent psychophysical evaluations of orthonasal (using the Sniffin' Sticks test) and retronasal olfaction (using powdered aromas) at enrolment and 6 months post-ESS.

resultsOut of 97 patients, 81 (83.5%) completed all assessments. At enrolment, 23 (28.4%) CRSsNP patients had OD based on composite threshold, discrimination, identification scores, compared with 7 (8.6%) controls (absolute % difference, 19.8% [95% CI, 8.2-31.4]). Retronasal olfactory function was also significantly worse in CRSsNP patients. Six months post-ESS, 30 patients (37.0%) experienced a clinically significant improvement in olfactory, whereas nonsignificant changes were observed in retronasal olfactory score, and 3.7% of patients experienced a deterioration of the olfactory function.

conclusionsIn conclusion, although 37% of patients experienced a clinically significant improvement in their sense of smell following ESS, the overall prevalence of OD in this surgically naive population appears relatively low, especially when compared to that observed in patients with CRSwNP. Therefore, ESS may offer some benefits for enhancing orthonasal olfactory function, but the extent of these improvements appears to be limited.

Indexed as

Olfaction DisordersParanasal SinusesRhinitisSinusitisSmellAdultChronic DiseaseEndoscopyFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNasal PolypsPrevalenceProspective StudiesRhinosinusitisanosmiachronic rhinosinusitisCRSsNPendoscopic sinus surgerysmell

Identifiers

PMID39385671
PMCPMC11785150

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.