Prospective study comparing olfactory function in patients undergoing nasoseptal and rescue flap.
- 1Santa Casa de Misericórdia de São Paulo, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
- 2Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Santa Casa de Misericórdia de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. Electronic address: [email protected].
- 3Santa Casa de Misericórdia de São Paulo, Department of Neurosurgery, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Abstract
Objective
Endoscopic skull base surgery, whether for treatment or reconstruction, can affect olfaction. Assessing whether the rescue flap technique leads to better olfactory recovery than the nasoseptal flap is essential for developing criteria to guide surgical flap selection. The primary objective of this study was to assess olfactory function in patients undergoing endoscopic skull base surgery with either a nasoseptal or rescue flap. The secondary objective was to evaluate nasal symptoms.Methods
Olfactory and nasal symptom assessments were performed using the Connecticut Chemosensory Clinical Research Center (CCCRC) olfactory test and the Sino-nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) questionnaire at four time points: 24 h preoperatively, and at 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively.Results
A total of 47 patients were included, divided into two groups: nasoseptal flap (n = 28) and rescue flap (n = 19). Both groups demonstrated preserved olfactory function and site-specific quality-of-life scores when comparing preoperative and 6-month postoperative data.Conclusion
The results indicate that there was no significant change in olfactory function between groups over the evaluated time points, and no long-term deterioration in olfactory function or site-specific quality of life. Neither group demonstrated an earlier olfactory recovery that was statistically significant. Additionally, the SNOT-22 subdomains related to sleep disturbances and psychological symptoms showed progressive improvement, suggesting enhanced sleep quality and improved mental well-being.Level of evidence: 2
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BibTeX
@article{dolci2026prospective,
title = {{Prospective study comparing olfactory function in patients undergoing nasoseptal and rescue flap.}},
author = {Ricardo Landini Lutaif Dolci and Leticia Sayuri Yada and Leandro Meira Martins and Dino Rafael Perez and Matheus Cunha Ferreira de Castro Tolentino and Américo Rubens Leite Dos Santos and Paulo Roberto Lazarini},
journal = {Brazilian journal of otorhinolaryngology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.bjorl.2026.101931},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42879956},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Prospective study comparing olfactory function in patients undergoing nasoseptal and rescue flap.
AU - Ricardo Landini Lutaif Dolci
AU - Leticia Sayuri Yada
AU - Leandro Meira Martins
AU - Dino Rafael Perez
AU - Matheus Cunha Ferreira de Castro Tolentino
AU - Américo Rubens Leite Dos Santos
AU - Paulo Roberto Lazarini
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/15
JO - Brazilian journal of otorhinolaryngology
DO - 10.1016/j.bjorl.2026.101931
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42879956
AB - Objective Endoscopic skull base surgery, whether for treatment or reconstruction, can affect olfaction. Assessing whether the rescue flap technique leads to better olfactory recovery than the nasoseptal flap is essential for developing criteria to guide surgical flap selection. The primary objective of this study was to assess olfactory function in patients undergoing endoscopic skull base surgery with either a nasoseptal or rescue flap. The secondary objective was to evaluate nasal symptoms.Methods Olfactory and nasal symptom assessments were performed using the Connecticut Chemosensory Clinical Research Center (CCCRC) olfactory test and the Sino-nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) questionnaire at four time points: 24 h preoperatively, and at 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively.Results A total of 47 patients were included, divided into two groups: nasoseptal flap (n = 28) and rescue flap (n = 19). Both groups demonstrated preserved olfactory function and site-specific quality-of-life scores when comparing preoperative and 6-month postoperative data.Conclusion The results indicate that there was no significant change in olfactory function between groups over the evaluated time points, and no long-term deterioration in olfactory function or site-specific quality of life. Neither group demonstrated an earlier olfactory recovery that was statistically significant. Additionally, the SNOT-22 subdomains related to sleep disturbances and psychological symptoms showed progressive improvement, suggesting enhanced sleep quality and improved mental well-being.Level of evidence: 2
SN - 1808-8694
SN - 1808-8686
ER -