Steroid treatment of posttraumatic anosmia.
The objective of this study was to treat posttraumatic anosmia with oral steroid and evaluate its effect. One-hundred sixteen posttraumatic patients whose olfactory thresholds were -1.0 by the phenyl ethyl alcohol threshold test assembled in our department. They were treated with a course of high-dose steroid, and followed up for at least 3 months. During the latter period of this study, magnetic resonance imaging was performed to measure the volumes of olfactory bulbs and to detect subfrontal lobe damage. Among them, 19 (16.4%) patients' olfactory thresholds improved after steroid treatment, but the other 97 patients' thresholds did not change. The incidences of loss of consciousness and intracranial hemorrhage after head injury, the ratios of admission and craniotomy, the intervals between head injury and steroid treatment, the volumes of olfactory bulbs, and the incidences of subfrontal lobe damage were not significantly different between patients whose thresholds improved and those whose thresholds did not improve. However, patients with olfactory improvement were significantly younger than those who remained unchanged. Our study showed that oral steroid treatment might improve olfactory acuity in some patients with posttraumatic anosmia, but the possibility of spontaneous recovery cannot be ruled out.
Jiang
Rong-San
RS
Department of Otolaryngology, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
Wu
Shang-Heng
SH
Liang
Kai-Li
KL
Shiao
Jiun-Yih
JY
Hsin
Chung-Han
CH
Su
Mao-Chang
MC
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000857:Olfaction Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D020127:Recovery of Function; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
D005938:Glucocorticoids; D011239:Prednisolone