title: Simple assessment of olfaction in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis.
abstract: CONCLUSIONS
  The brief-smell identification test (B-SIT) can substitute for the butanol threshold test (BTT) in screening of anosmia and postoperative assessment of olfactory outcomes in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). A time-effective test battery composed of B-SIT and the visual analog scale (VAS) can be implemented for simple olfactory assessment in any otolaryngology clinic.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Anosmia is a distinct clinical entity requiring special attention. Unpredictable olfactory outcomes after surgery make preoperative assessment more important. We compared the results of the BTT, B-SIT, and VAS to investigate whether B-SIT or VAS can substitute for BTT in screening of anosmia and postoperative follow-up.
  
  
  METHODS
  We collected data on 68 CRS patients who had bilateral CRS and underwent endoscopic sinus surgery. Olfactory performance was graded using the BTT: normosmia, hyposmia, or anosmia. VAS and B-SIT were also performed. All tests were repeated 6 months after surgery. Postoperative improvement was defined by an increase of the BTT score ≥ 2.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The B-SIT and VAS scores of the anomics were significantly lower than those of the normosmics. B-SIT discriminated anosmia with high specificity. Within the improvement group, postoperative increase of B-SIT/VAS score showed significance. However, neither the B-SIT nor the VAS differentiated between no change and deterioration of olfaction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea , Seoul , Korea.
authors.forename: Byung Guk
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jeong-Hoon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Ha Na
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: So Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000440:Butanols; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D015522:Frontal Sinusitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D057605:Natural Orifice Endoscopic Surgery; D000857:Olfaction Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012903:Smell; D064232:Visual Analog Scale; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000440:Butanols
keywords: Anosmia; brief-smell identification test; butanol threshold test; endoscopic sinus surgery; visual analog scale