[Preservation of the olfactory tract following surgery on anterior communicating artery aneurysm using bifrontal craniotomy, and its functional prognosis (author's transl)].

Based upon 110 cases of AComA aneurysm approached via bifrontal craniotomy, we discuss preservation of the olfactory tracts and the functional prognosis for olfaction. (1) It is possible to preserve the olfactory tracts bilaterally or unilaterally in over 80% of such cases. (2) With regard to the correlation between surgical findings and subjective sense of olfaction, it was found that 47% of the cases with bilateral preservation, 34% with unilateral preservation and 33% of the cases with bilateral olfactory tract damage reported normal olfaction. (3) Objective examination of olfaction by an otolaryngologist showed that 84% of the patients reporting normal olfaction indeed had normal olfaction, whereas 91% of those reporting no olfaction were anosmic.