Effects on olfaction of different treatments to middle turbinate by endoscopic sinus surgery

Objective To evaluate the effects of different treatments to middle turbinate by endo-scopic sinus surgery (ESS) on olfaction in patients with chronic sinusitis and nasal polyps. Methods ESS was performed on 74 cases of chronic sinusitis and nasal polyps. Proper treatments divided into the group of retaining middle turbinate, the group of forming middle turbinate and the group of partial endonasal middle turbinectomy which were applied to different pathological changes of middle turbinates. The olfactory function of the 74 patients was tested through the CCCRC olfactory testing method pre-operation and twenty-four weeks post-operation. The results were analyzed by analysis of variance. Results The olfaction after treat-ment of the three groups was significantly better than that of pre-operation (P 0.05). Conclusion Different treatments to middle turbinate by ESS is no obvious effects on olfaction. Key words: Turbinates;  Smell;  Sinusitis