[Sniffin'Sticks: a new system for olfactory assessment in routine clinical practice].
BACKGROUND
The Sniffin'Sticks test battery consists of a short screening test and tests for odor detection thresholds (using n-butanol), odor discrimination and odor identification. We evaluated the usefulness of this new test in clinical practice and propose normative values.


METHODS
In the present study 30 normosmic and 15 anosmic volunteers as well as 35 patients with various olfactory dysfunctions were examined.


RESULTS
All four Sniffin'Sticks tests were able to separate normosmics and anosmics in a highly significant manner. Even a small decrease in olfactory performance was detectable in elderly patients. For practical purposes the sensitivity of the test for screening test was found to be too low. The good correlation between the individual Sniffin'Sticks tests and the correlation between the Sniffin'Sticks test battery and the "University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test" (UPSIT) test battery and the "University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test" (UPSIT) document the reliability of these tests.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings show that the Sniffin'Sticks are well suited to assess olfactory performance in clinical practice.
Wolfensberger
M
M
Universitäts-HNO-Klinik Basel.
Schnieper
I
I
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D009812:Odorants; D000857:Olfaction Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D012016:Reference Values; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012684:Sensory Thresholds