Background: In this study, we aimed to determine whether nasal thallium-201 uptake of the olfactory cleft and olfactory bulb (OB) differs between patients with parosmia with and without hyposmia after upper respiratory tract infection (URTI).
Methods: Twenty patients with parosmia after URTI were enrolled in this study (15 women and 5 men, 28 to 76 years old). Nasally administered thallium-201 migration to the OB, nasal thallium-201 uptake ratio in the olfactory cleft, and OB volume were determined in 10 patients with normal T&T olfactometry (Daiichi Yakuhin Sangyo, Tokyo, Japan) odor recognition thresholds (≤2.0) who still complained of parosmia (parosmia group), and 10 patients with T&T odor recognition thresholds >2.0 (parosmia and hyposmia group).
Results: The nasal thallium-201 uptake ratio in the olfactory cleft was significantly higher in the parosmia group than in the parosmia and hyposmia group (p = 0.0015). Thallium-201 migration to the OB was not significantly different between the 2 groups (p = 0.31). The OB volume was significantly larger in the parosmia group than that in the parosmia and hyposmia group (p = 0.029); however, the mean OB volume in both the groups was lower than the normal threshold value in healthy individuals.
Conclusion: Our results signify the recovery of the olfactory epithelium; however, the olfactory neural projections to the OB and regeneration of OB were not complete in patients with parosmia with normal T&T recognition thresholds after URTI.
Keywords: hyposmia; magnetic resonance imaging; molecular imaging; nasal turbinate; nuclear medicine; odor recognition threshold; olfaction; sensory systems; single-photon emission computed tomography.
© 2019 The Authors. International Forum of Allergy & Rhinology by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Academy of Otolaryngic Allergy and American Rhinologic Society.