title: Influence of visual information and test paradigm on clinical olfactory test results.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The goal of this study was to determine if visual information and test paradigms affect clinical olfactory test results.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three hundred and ninety-seven Japanese patients with complaints of olfactory dysfunction were administered both a new clinical olfactory test, the Odor Stick Identification Test for Japanese (OSIT-J), and the Japanese benchmark olfactory test, T&T olfactometry. Four different methods were used to administer the OSIT-J combining paradigms using word or picture-word alternatives with the four-plus alternative method based on a top-down strategy or the two-step identification method based on a bottom-up strategy. OSIT-J scores were compared for the different methods, referring to benchmark scores obtained with T&T olfactometry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  OSIT-J scores using picture-word alternatives and the four-plus alternative method showed a stronger correlation with T&T olfactometry test scores than those using word alternatives and the two-step identification method, respectively. The average OSIT-J scores of the four-plus alternative method using picture-word alternatives were significantly higher than those using word alternatives in anosmic and severely hyposmic patients. The time required to administer the OSIT-J using both picture-word alternatives and the four-plus alternative method was the shortest of the four OSIT-J methods.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Visual information and test paradigms may affect clinical olfactory test results. The OSIT-J method using picture-word alternatives and the four-plus alternative method may be the most suitable for clinical practice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-174 Edobashi, Tsu, Mie 514-8507, Japan. m-koba@doc.medic.mie-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Masayoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Yoshinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Imanishi
authors.forename: Masako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: Kohei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nishida
authors.forename: Maaya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oishi
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sakaida
authors.forename: Taro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: Takatsugu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsunoda
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsuura
authors.forename: Yuichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Majima
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001245:Association Learning; D001288:Attention; D019985:Benchmarking; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009812:Odorants; D000857:Olfaction Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012660:Semantics