title: [Clinical and magnetic resonance imaging characteristics of isolated congenital anosmia].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report a series of patients with isolated congenital anosmia and summarize their clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty patients with isolated congenital anosmia were reviewed retrospectively. A thorough medical and chemosensory history, physical examination, nasal endoscopy, T&T olfactory testing, olfactory event-related potentials, sinonasal computed tomography scan and magnetic resonance image of olfactory pathway were performed in all patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Neither ENT physical examination nor nasal endoscopy was remarkable. Subjective olfactory testing indicated all of them were of anosmia. No olfactory event-related potentials to maximal stimulus were obtained. Computed tomography scan was normal. MRI revealed the absence of olfactory bulbs and tracts in all cases. And hypoplasia or aplasia of olfactory sulcus was found in all cases. All the patients had normal sex hormone level.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The diagnosis of isolated congenital anosmia is established on chief complaints, physical examination, olfactory testing and olfactory imaging. MRI of olfactory pathway is indispensable.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, China Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100029, China.
authors.forename: Jian-feng
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: You
authors.forename: Dao-feng
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Ni
authors.forename: Da-zhang
authors.initials: DZ
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000857:Olfaction Disorders / Q000151:congenital* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies