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Beom Seok Seo, MD; Hyun Jong Lee, MD; Ji-Hun Mo, MD; Chul Hee Lee, MD; Chae-Seo Rhee, MD; Jeong-Whun Kim, MD, PhD

Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2009;135(10):1000-1004.

Objective  To analyze the efficacy of treating postviral olfactory loss with glucocorticoids, Ginkgo biloba, and mometasone furoate nasal spray.

Design  Randomized trial.

Setting  Academic research.

Patients  Seventy-one patients who were diagnosed as having postviral olfactory loss.

Main Outcome Measures  All patients underwent olfactory function tests, including the butanol threshold test (BTT) and the cross-cultural smell identification test (CCSIT), and follow-up tests were performed 4 weeks later. In the interim, 28 patients were treated with prednisolone for 2 weeks (monotherapy), and the other 43 patients were treated with prednisolone for 2 weeks plus G biloba for 4 weeks (combination therapy). All patients used mometasone nasal spray twice daily for 4 weeks.

Results  Scores on the BTT and CCSIT significantly increased after treatment in both groups (P < .001 for both). The mean (SD) BTT score changes were 1.4 (2.2) in the monotherapy group and 2.2 (2.9) in the combination therapy group (P = .22). The mean (SD) CCSIT score changes were 0.9 (1.7) in the monotherapy group and 1.9 (2.7) in the combination therapy group (P = .11). On the BTT, the treatment response (defined as a score increase of 3) rates were 32% (9 of 28) in the monotherapy group and 37% (16 of 43) in the combination therapy group (P = .66), and the odds ratio was 1.25 (95% confidence interval, 0.46-3.42). On the CCSIT, the treatment response rates were 14% (4 of 28) in the monotherapy group and 33% (14 of 43) in the combination therapy group (P = .08), and the odds ratio was 2.89 (95% confidence interval, 0.84-9.97).

Conclusions  Olfactory function in patients with postviral olfactory loss was significantly improved by both treatment modalities. Although the treatment response was not statistically different between the monotherapy group and the combination therapy group, the addition of G biloba showed a tendency of greater efficacy in the treatment of postviral olfactory loss.

Author Affiliations: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam (Drs Seo, H. J. Lee, Mo, and Kim), Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul (Drs C. H. Lee and Rhee), and Sensory Organ Research Institute, Medical Research Center, Seoul (Drs C. H. Lee, Rhee, and Kim), South Korea.

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