Otorhinolaryngology Research Center, Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery Department, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Valiasr Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Int Forum Allergy Rhinol. 2015 Apr;5(4):356-60. doi: 10.1002/alr.21478. Epub 2015 Jan 21.
Debate still persists on the relation between olfactory bulb volume (OBV) and olfactory function. Many studies suggest that olfactory deprivation decreases the OBV. The aim of this study was to compare the olfactory threshold and OBV of patients with nasal polyps to healthy individuals and to evaluate the impact of functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) on OBV and olfactory threshold.
A longitudinal study was carried out in Tehran between 2011 and 2012. Twenty-two patients with nasal polyps were compared with 37 healthy individuals. Olfactory threshold test and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were performed on all participants. Twenty-two patients in case group were followed for 6 months after FESS. OBV and olfactory threshold were measured after 6 months.
There was no significant difference between the age, gender, and OBV of the 2 groups. However, the difference between olfactory threshold was significant (p = 0.005). The olfactory threshold showed no significant relation with OBV (p > 0.05). The correlation between Lund-Mackay score and the mean total OBV and left OBV was significant (r = -0.15, p = 0.045; r = -0.22, p = 0.047; respectively). The decrease in olfactory threshold measured after FESS was statistically significant. Right, left, and total OBV significantly increased after FESS.
The results of our study show that FESS has a significant impact on OBV increment and olfactory threshold decrement. The olfactory bulb is a plastic structure and improvement in peripheral olfactory function results in increase in OBV. However, further studies are mandated, in order to establish this result.
嗅球体积（OBV）与嗅觉功能之间的关系仍存在争议。许多研究表明，嗅觉剥夺会导致 OBV 减少。本研究旨在比较鼻息肉患者与健康个体的嗅觉阈值和 OBV，并评估功能性内镜鼻窦手术（FESS）对 OBV 和嗅觉阈值的影响。
2011 年至 2012 年在德黑兰进行了一项纵向研究。将 22 例鼻息肉患者与 37 例健康个体进行比较。所有参与者均进行嗅觉阈值测试和磁共振成像（MRI）检查。在病例组中，22 例患者在 FESS 后随访 6 个月。6 个月后测量 OBV 和嗅觉阈值。
两组间年龄、性别和 OBV 无显著差异。然而，嗅觉阈值差异显著（p = 0.005）。嗅觉阈值与 OBV 无显著相关性（p > 0.05）。Lund-Mackay 评分与平均总 OBV 和左 OBV 呈显著负相关（r = -0.15，p = 0.045；r = -0.22，p = 0.047）。FESS 后测量的嗅觉阈值下降具有统计学意义。FESS 后右侧、左侧和总 OBV 均显著增加。
本研究结果表明，FESS 对 OBV 增加和嗅觉阈值降低有显著影响。嗅球是一种可塑结构，外周嗅觉功能的改善导致 OBV 增加。然而，需要进一步的研究来证实这一结果。
