The effectiveness of functional septorhinoplasty in improving COVID-19-related olfactory dysfunction.

Abstract

Introduction: The unmet need is to find a treatment which could achieve a meaningful olfactory improvement for patients with long-term (>2 years) COVID-19-related olfactory dysfunction(C19OD).

Objective and hypothesis: To assess the efficacy of fSRP in improving OD in patients with persistent C19OD. Data were compared with a control group of C19OD patients on olfactory training(OT).

Study design: Prospective-controlled cohorts study Methods: Subjects with persistent C19OD undergoing fSRP were enrolled. Those refusing fSRP continued with OT (control arm). Patients were followed up for 6 months. Olfaction was measured using Sniffin' Sticks(S'S). Nasal airways were assessed using Peak Nasal Inspiratory Flow(PNIF) and Acoustic Rhinometry(AR).

Results: Twelve patients underwent fSRP while thirteen formed the control group. All S'S scores significantly improved(p<0.05) in the fSRP arm but not in the control arm. TDI improved above minimal clinically important difference in the fSRP group only. Strong significant correlations between S'S scores and nasal measurements were demonstrated. When comparing the difference in gain between the fSRP and control arm, a statistically significant benefit in the olfactory threoshold gain for the fSRP group was observed.

Conclusion: Our pilot study suggests that fSRP can significantly improve persistent C19OD with additional significant olfactory threshold gain when compared to OT.