[Posttraumatic anosmia: olfactory event related potentials and MRI evaluation].
OBJECTIVE
Using olfactory event related potentials (OERP) and magnetic resonance to evaluate olfactory function in patients with posttraumatic anosmia.


METHODS
Twenty four patients with posttraumatic anosmia were reviewed retrospectively. A thorough medical history, physical examination, nasal endoscopy, T&T olfactory testing, olfactory event-related potentials, brain computed tomography scan and magnetic resonance image of olfactory pathway were performed in all patients.


RESULTS
Subjective olfactory testing indicated 20 of 24 patients were birhinal anosmia, 2 with right nostril anosmia and left impairment, 2 with left anosmia and right normal. No OERP were obtained in 24 (20 were birhinal, 4 was monorhinal), except 4 cases with single nostril. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed the injures to the olfactory bulbs (100%), rectus gyrus (91.7%), orbital gyrus (67%), olfactory tracts (8%) and temporal lobes (8%).


CONCLUSIONS
OERP can objectively evaluate posttraumatic olfactory function, and magnetic resonance of olfactory pathway can precisely identify the location and extent of injures.
Liu
Jian-Feng
JF
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, China-Japen Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100029, China.
You
Hui
H
Ni
Dao-Feng
DF
Zhang
Qiu-Hang
QH
Yang
Da-Zhang
DZ
Wang
Na-Ya
NY
D000328:Adult; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000150:complications; D005071:Evoked Potentials; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000857:Olfaction Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies