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One-Year Follow-up Study

Birgit Risberg-Berlin, SLP; Riitta Ylitalo Möller, MD, PhD; Caterina Finizia, MD, PhD

Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2007;133(7):650-654.

Objective  To assess the long-term results of the nasal airflow-inducing maneuver in olfaction rehabilitation in patients who had undergone laryngectomy.

Design  Prospective interventional study.

Setting  University hospital.

Patients  Twenty-four patients who had undergone laryngectomy (21 men and 3 women; mean age, 68 years) who received olfactory rehabilitation with the nasal airflow-inducing maneuver were reevaluated 6 and 12 months after primary treatment.

Main Outcome Measure  Olfactory function was tested by means of a semistructured interview; the Questionnaire on Olfaction, Taste and Appetite; and the Scandinavian Odor-Identification Test. Quality of life was measured with the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 and QLQ-H&N35 questionnaires. Patients were categorized as smellers or nonsmellers based on results of the Scandinavian Odor-Identification Test.

Results  Before treatment, 10 of 24 patients (42%) were smellers and 14 (58%) were nonsmellers. At 6-month follow-up, 20 of 23 patients (87%) were smellers, whereas after 12 months, 21 of 24 patients (88%) were smellers. Long-term olfaction rehabilitation was achieved in 11 of 14 patients (79%) with anosmia, and 15 of all 24 patients (63%) could be classified as having normal olfactory capacity at the end of the study.

Conclusion  The nasal airflow-inducing maneuver is a patient-friendly, inexpensive, and effective method for restoring the sense of smell in patients after laryngectomy, and the results persist in the long term.

Author Affiliations: Division of Logopedics and Phoniatrics, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg, Sweden (Ms Risberg-Berlin); Department of Otolaryngology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden (Dr Ylitalo Möller); and Department of Otolaryngology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden (Dr Finizia).