Olfactory dysfunction in allergic fungal rhinosinusitis.

OBJECTIVE To correlate patient reports of olfactory dysfunction after surgical intervention for allergic fungal rhinosinusitis (AFRS) with endoscopic findings, psychophysical testing, and quality-of-life scores. DESIGN A prospective cohort study. SETTING A tertiary care rhinology clinic at St Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. PATIENTS Eighty-one patients with AFRS seen at routine postoperative follow-up. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The Sniffin' Sticks test and a visual analog scale for the perceived olfactory ability of patients with AFRS were administered, along with a 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey. An endoscopic staging score was assigned for each patient. RESULTS Forty men and 41 women with AFRS underwent olfactory testing; 52 of these individuals completed all parts of the assessment. The mean threshold, discrimination, and identification score was 19 (hyposmic), with a significant correlation between patients' performance on the Sniffin' Sticks test and endoscopic staging, as well as their reported olfactory ability (P < .001 for all 3 tests). The mean score for the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey was 71, but there was a poor correlation between it and the threshold, discrimination, and identification score; visual analog scale; and endoscopic scores (P > .05 for all 3 tests). CONCLUSION All patients with AFRS should be evaluated with olfactory testing and treated according to the results.