title: Ciliary beat frequency, olfaction and endoscopic sinus surgery.
abstract: We assessed prospectively changes in olfaction and ciliary beat frequency (CBF) after functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) in 70 patients with chronic sinusitis. CBF was measured by the microscopic-photometry technique 2, 4 and 6 months after FESS. Olfaction was evaluated by the Erlangener Smell Identification Test. Preoperative CBF was markedly reduced due to the infectious process. CBF was significantly improved (p < 0.001), reaching normal values 6 months postoperatively despite the endoscopic examination revealing normal nasal mucosa at around 3 months. The pattern of improvement of CBF was linear being more rapid between months 4 and 6. After operation olfactory-impaired patients were improved subjectively and objectively (p < 0.001 and p = 0.003). We conclude that impaired olfactory ability and CBF are significantly improved after FESS, and FESS demands longer postoperative follow-up periods for at least 6 months even if the clinical evaluations were normal.
authors.affiliation: ENT Department, Innsbruck University, Austria.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Abdel-Hak
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gunkel
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kanonier
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schrott-Fischer
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ulmer
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Thumfart
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002908:Chronic Disease; D002925:Ciliary Motility Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004724:Endoscopy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009079:Mucociliary Clearance; D000857:Olfaction Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D010783:Photometry; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D012852:Sinusitis / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D012903:Smell / Q000502:physiology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome