Effectiveness of olfactory rehabilitation with the nasal airflow-inducing maneuver after total laryngectomy: one-year follow-up study.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the long-term results of the nasal airflow-inducing maneuver in olfaction rehabilitation in patients who had undergone laryngectomy.


METHODS
Prospective interventional study.


METHODS
University hospital.


METHODS
Twenty-four patients who had undergone laryngectomy (21 men and 3 women; mean age, 68 years) who received olfactory rehabilitation with the nasal airflow-inducing maneuver were reevaluated 6 and 12 months after primary treatment.


METHODS
Olfactory function was tested by means of a semistructured interview; the Questionnaire on Olfaction, Taste and Appetite; and the Scandinavian Odor-Identification Test. Quality of life was measured with the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 and QLQ-H&N35 questionnaires. Patients were categorized as smellers or nonsmellers based on results of the Scandinavian Odor-Identification Test.


RESULTS
Before treatment, 10 of 24 patients (42%) were smellers and 14 (58%) were nonsmellers. At 6-month follow-up, 20 of 23 patients (87%) were smellers, whereas after 12 months, 21 of 24 patients (88%) were smellers. Long-term olfaction rehabilitation was achieved in 11 of 14 patients (79%) with anosmia, and 15 of all 24 patients (63%) could be classified as having normal olfactory capacity at the end of the study.


CONCLUSIONS
The nasal airflow-inducing maneuver is a patient-friendly, inexpensive, and effective method for restoring the sense of smell in patients after laryngectomy, and the results persist in the long term.
Risberg-Berlin
Birgit
B
Division of Logopedics and Phoniatrics, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg, Sweden.
Möller
Riitta Ylitalo
RY
Finizia
Caterina
C
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007825:Laryngectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000857:Olfaction Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015000:Yawning