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ArticleEuropean archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery2025

Changes in olfactory bulb volume and olfactory sulcus depth in COVID-19 infection: an autopsy study.

Sefa Sonmez, Merve Nur Ozgen, Sadik Bugrahan Simsek, Ahmet Depreli, Elif Kaya Celik, Hilal Irmak Sapmaz

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Article in European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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1 citing paper in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Sefa SonmezDepartment of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Tokat Gaziosmanpasa University, Tokat, Turkey.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5532-9856
Merve Nur OzgenDepartment of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Tokat Gaziosmanpasa University, Tokat, Turkey.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1134-5309
Sadik Bugrahan SimsekDepartment of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Tokat Gaziosmanpasa University, Tokat, Turkey.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2002-0597
Ahmet DepreliTokat Forensic Medicine Branch Directorate, Forensic Medicine Institute, Tokat, Turkey.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5941-2358
Elif Kaya CelikDepartment of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Tokat Gaziosmanpasa University, Tokat, Turkey.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2050-441X
Hilal Irmak SapmazDepartment of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Tokat Gaziosmanpasa University, Tokat, Turkey. hisapmaz@yahoo.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9821-1628

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThe pathophysiology of COVID-19 remains unclear. Olfactory dysfunction is one of the neurological symptoms of the disease. There is no evidence to evaluate whether there is a morphometric change in the olfactory pathways. This study aimed to examine the effect of COVID-19 on olfactory center sections through morphometric measurements obtained from autopsy cases.

methodsOur study was conducted on 63 autopsy cases (COVID-19 [n = 37], control (non-COVID) [n = 26]) between the ages of 18-80 years who came to Tokat Forensic Medicine Institute. The anatomical structures of the olfactory tracts were determined on the brains removed during routine autopsy. The dimensions of the structures belonging to the olfactory center sections were measured with a precision digital caliper, weights were measured with a precision digital scale, and volumes were measured with a 0.01 cm³ graduated cylinder. The Archimedes principle method was used for volume calculations.

resultsIn the autopsy cases examined, it was found that there was a significant decrease in bilateral olfactory bulb (OB) and olfactory tract (OT) volumes in COVID-19 group (p < 0.001). In addition, OB and OT weights were lighter in COVID-19 group on both sides (p < 0.001). The length, width and depth measurements of the examined anatomical structures were found to be shorter in COVID-19 group (p < 0.01).

conclusionAutopsy findings showed damage in olfactory center sections in COVID-19 group. We believe that knowing the OB and OT morphology in particular will make significant contributions to both clinical approaches and future studies in the pathology of infectious diseases.

Indexed as

Olfaction DisordersOlfactory BulbOlfactory PathwaysAdolescentAdultAgedAged, 80 and overAutopsyCOVID-19FemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedOrgan SizePandemicsSARS-CoV-2AnosmiaAutopsyInfectious diseasesOlfactory bulbOlfactory tract

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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.