Clinical and Radiological Evaluations of COVID-19 Patients With Anosmia: Preliminary Report.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: To investigate clinical and radiological features of olfactory clefts of patients with mild coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

STUDY

DESIGN

Prospective non controlled study.

METHODS

Sixteen COVID-19 patients were recruited. The epidemiological and clinical data were extracted. Nasal complaints were assessed through the 22-item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test. Patients underwent psychophysical olfactory testing, olfactory cleft examination, and computed tomography (CT) scans.

RESULTS

Sixteen anosmic patients were included. The mean Sniffin' Sticks score was 4.6 ± 1.7. The majority of patients had no endoscopical abnormality, with a mean olfactory cleft endoscopy score of 0.6 ± 0.9. The olfactory clefts were opacified in three patients on the CT scan. The mean radiological olfactory cleft score was 0.7 ± 0.8. There were no significant correlations between clinical, radiological, and psychophysical olfactory testing.

CONCLUSIONS

The olfactory cleft of anosmic COVID-19 patients is free regarding endoscopic examination and imaging. The anosmia etiology is not related to edema of the olfactory cleft.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4 Laryngoscope, 130:2526-2531, 2020.