1b.

Ib.

The site of trauma may be more relevant to prognosis than a simple probability (of olfactory loss) based on incidence. Odor-evoked potentials indicate that functional anosmia can occur even when there is some evidence of intact olfactory nerve function.

The long-term risk and risk factors for recurrent embolism after percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale (PFO) were investigated in 152 consecutive patients with presumed paradoxical embolism. During follow-up, the actuarial freedom from recurrent embolism was 95.1% at 1 year, and 90.6% at 2 and 6 years. A residual shunt after percutaneous PFO closure was a predictor for recurrence (RR 5.3; 95% CI 1.3 to 21.0; p = 0.02). Randomized trials comparing medical treatment with percutaneous PFO closure in the prevention of recurrent embolism are in progress.

Confocal endomicroscopy is an emerging technique for intravital visualization of neoplastic lesions, but its use has so far been limited to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This study was designed to assess the feasibility of in vivo confocal endomicroscopy of different regions of the oropharyngeal mucosa and to evaluate different contrast agents. We examined five different regions of the human oropharynx in vivo, and images were collected in real time by using a confocal laser endoscope as formerly described for the GI tract. Additionally ex vivo specimens were examined using a topical contrast agent. Confocal scanning was performed at 488-nm illumination for excitation of exogenously applied fluorophores (topical acriflavine and intravenous fluorescein). Confocal endomicroscopy allowed for visualization of cellular and subcellular structures of the anterior human oropharyngeal region. Fluorescein staining yielded architectural details of the surface epithelium and also subepithelial layers. Images taken at increasing depth beneath the epithelium showed the mucosal capillary network. Acriflavine strongly contrasted the cell nuclei of the surface epithelium. The findings correlated well with the histology of biopsy specimens. This is the first report showing that the use of fluorescence confocal endomicroscopy represents a promising method to examine cellular details in vivo in different oropharyngeal regions in human.

Self-assessment of olfaction is only a reliable indicator in smell-impaired patients, not in healthy controls. For an accurate assessment of olfaction, reliable, standardised tests are needed.

The CST is an easy-to-handle reliable tool to investigate retronasal olfaction suited for clinical determination of normosmia, hyposmia, and ansomia. In addition, it can be used for investigation where self-application is necessary such as in large survey studies.

Objective Investigation of the postoperative olfactory function after sinus surgery for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) with and without polyps in a review. Data Sources PubMed. Review Methods A comprehensive literature search was conducted through June 2018 using relevant keywords. The titles/abstracts were reviewed to identify studies evaluating the sense of smell in CRS‐patients pre‐ and postoperatively by either using the whole or parts of the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test or the Sniffin’ Sticks test. Study characteristics and outcome data of the included studies were extracted. Results In total, 106 studies were retrieved. Twenty‐four studies comprising 1,956 patients were included after quality assessment. The number of patients investigated per study was 19 to 206. In the 24 studies, 959 patients with nasal polyps and 516 without nasal polyps were described. The follow‐up times varied between 0.5 and 28 months. Twenty‐three studies reported an improved sense of smell, at least in certain subgroups. An overall improvement was seen in approximately 50% of the included patients. Nasal polyposis and preoperative anosmia were associated with a higher chance of improvement in olfaction. In those studies that commented on deterioration after sinus surgery, a decrease in olfaction was found in a range from 0% to 10% of cases. Conclusion Olfaction can be improved by sinus surgery in about every second patient, especially if the patient had chronic rhinosinusitis with polyps, was anosmic, and had no prior surgery. A deterioration of sense of smell after surgery is rare. Laryngoscope, 129:1053–1059, 2019