European Archives of Oto-rhino-laryngology 

About: European Archives of Oto-rhino-laryngology is an academic journal published by Springer Science+Business Media. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Otorhinolaryngology & Medicine. It has an ISSN identifier of 0937-4477. Over the lifetime, 12907 publications have been published receiving 189749 citations. The journal is also known as: European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology (Print) & European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology and head & neck (Print).

Olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions as a clinical presentation of mild-to-moderate forms of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19): a multicenter European study.

Abstract: To investigate the occurrence of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions in patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection. Patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection were recruited from 12 European hospitals. The following epidemiological and clinical outcomes have been studied: age, sex, ethnicity, comorbidities, and general and otolaryngological symptoms. Patients completed olfactory and gustatory questionnaires based on the smell and taste component of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, and the short version of the Questionnaire of Olfactory Disorders-Negative Statements (sQOD-NS). A total of 417 mild-to-moderate COVID-19 patients completed the study (263 females). The most prevalent general symptoms consisted of cough, myalgia, and loss of appetite. Face pain and nasal obstruction were the most disease-related otolaryngological symptoms. 85.6% and 88.0% of patients reported olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions, respectively. There was a significant association between both disorders (p < 0.001). Olfactory dysfunction (OD) appeared before the other symptoms in 11.8% of cases. The sQO-NS scores were significantly lower in patients with anosmia compared with normosmic or hyposmic individuals (p = 0.001). Among the 18.2% of patients without nasal obstruction or rhinorrhea, 79.7% were hyposmic or anosmic. The early olfactory recovery rate was 44.0%. Females were significantly more affected by olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions than males (p = 0.001). Olfactory and gustatory disorders are prevalent symptoms in European COVID-19 patients, who may not have nasal symptoms. The sudden anosmia or ageusia need to be recognized by the international scientific community as important symptoms of the COVID-19 infection.

Normative data for the "Sniffin' Sticks" including tests of odor identification, odor discrimination, and olfactory thresholds: an upgrade based on a group of more than 3,000 subjects.

Abstract: "Sniffin' Sticks" is a test of nasal chemosensory function that is based on pen-like odor dispensing devices, introduced some 10 years ago by Kobal and co-workers. It consists of tests for odor threshold, discrimination, and identification. Previous work established its test-retest reliability and validity. Results of the test are presented as "TDI score", the sum of results obtained for threshold, discrimination, and identification measures. While normative data have been established they are based on a relatively small number of subjects, especially with regard to subjects older than 55 years where data from only 30 healthy subjects have been used. The present study aimed to remedy this situation. Now data are available from 3,282 subjects as compared to data from 738 subjects published previously. Disregarding sex-related differences, the TDI score at the tenth percentile was 24.9 in subjects younger than 15 years, 30.3 for ages from 16 to 35 years, 27.3 for ages from 36 to 55 years, and 19.6 for subjects older than 55 years. Because the tenth percentile has been defined to separate hyposmia from normosmia, these data can be used as a guide to estimate individual olfactory ability in relation to subject's age. Absolute hyposmia was defined as the tenth percentile score of 16-35 year old subjects. Other than previous reports the present norms are also sex-differentiated with women outperforming men in the three olfactory tests. Further, the present data suggest specific changes of individual olfactory functions in relation to age, with odor thresholds declining most dramatically compared to odor discrimination and odor identification.

A basic protocol for functional assessment of voice pathology, especially for investigating the efficacy of (phonosurgical) treatments and evaluating new assessment techniques. Guideline elaborated by the Committee on Phoniatrics of the European Laryngological Society (ELS).

Abstract: The proposal of this basic protocol is an attempt to reach better agreement and uniformity concerning the methodology for functional assessment of pathologic voices. The purpose is to allow relevant comparisons with the literature when presenting / publishing the results of voice treatment, e.g. a phonosurgical technique, or a new / improved instrument or procedure for investigating the pathological voice. Meta-analyses of the results of voice treatments are generally limited and may even be impossible owing to the major diversity in the ways functional outcomes are assessed. A multidimensional set of minimal basic measurements suitable for all “common” dysphonias is proposed. It includes five different approaches: perception (grade, roughness, breathiness), videostroboscopy (closure, regularity, mucosal wave and symmetry), acoustics (jitter, shimmer, Fo-range and softest intensity), aerodynamics (phonation quotient), and subjective rating by the patient. The protocol is elaborated on the basis of an exhaustive review of the literature, of the experience of the Committee members, and of plenary discussions within the European Laryngological Society. Instrumentation is kept to a minimum, but it is considered essential for professionals performing phonosurgery.

Functional endoscopic sinus surgery : concept, indications and results of the Messerklinger technique

Abstract: The Messerklinger technique is a primarily diagnostic endoscopic concept demonstrating that the frontal and the maxillary sinuses are subordinate cavities. Disease usually starts in the nose and spreads through the ethmoidal prechambers to the frontal and maxillary sinuses, with infections of these latter sinuses thus usually being of secondary nature. Standard rhinoscopy and sinus X-rays are frequently not sufficient to demonstrate the underlying causes for chronic or recurring acute sinusitis in the clefts of the anterior ethmoidal sinuses. The combination of diagnostic endoscopy of the lateral nasal wall with conventional or computed tomography in the coronal plane has proven to be the ideal method for the examination of inflammatory diseases of the paranasal sinuses. In so doing, diseases and lesions that other-wise might have gone undiagnosed can be identified and consequently treated. Based on this diagnostic approach, an endoscopic surgical concept was developed, aiming for the underlying causes of sinus diseases instead of the secondarily involved larger sinuses. With usually very limited surgical procedures, diseased ethmoid compartments are operated on, stenotic clefts widened and prechambers to the frontal and maxillary sinuses freed from disease. In our experience, there is rarely a need for major manipulations inside the larger sinuses per se. Based on exact diagnosis, the surgical technique used allows a very individualized staging according to the prevailing pathology. In the extreme, a total sphenoethmoidectomy can be performed with this technique, although the true advantage of the technique is that even in cases of massive disease such radical procedures can be avoided. By reestablishing sinus ventilation and drainage via the natural ostia, there is also no need for fenestration of the inferior meatus. The Messerklinger technique can be applied to a wide spectrum of indications, apart from nasal polyposis. The technique has its clear limits as well as its specific problems. Adequate training and experience are required for the surgical approach, as the technique bears all the risks and hazards of all kinds of endonasal ethmoid surgery but has a minimal complication rate in the hands of an experienced surgeon. Results and complications of a series of more than 4500 patients over a period of over 10 years are presented and discussed in detail.

Multicenter investigation of 1,036 subjects using a standardized method for the assessment of olfactory function combining tests of odor identification, odor discrimination, and olfactory thresholds.

Abstract: “Sniffin’ Sticks” is a test of nasal chemosensory performance that is based on penlike odor-dispensing devices. It is comprised of three tests of olfactory function: tests for odor threshold, discrimination and identification. Previous work has already established its test-retest reliability and validity in comparison to established measures of olfactory sensitivity. The results of this test are presented as a composite TDI score – i.e., the sum of results obtained for threshold, discrimination and identification measures. The present multicenter investigation aimed at providing normative values in relation to different age groups. To this end, 966 patients were investigated in 11 centers. An additional study tried to establish values for the identification of anosmic patients, with 70 anosmics investigated in five specialized centers where the presence of anosmia was confirmed by means of olfactory evoked potentials. For healthy subjects, the TDI score at the 10th percentile was 24.5 in subjects younger than 15 years, 30.3 for ages from 16 to 35 years, 28.8 for ages from 36 to 55 years and 27.5 for subjects older than 55 years. While these data can be used to estimate individual olfactory abilities in relation to a subject’s age, hyposmia was defined as the 10th percentile score of 16- to 35-year-old subjects. Our latter study revealed that none of 70 anosmics reached a TDI score higher than 15. This score of 15 is regarded as the cut-off value for functional anosmia. These results provide the basis for the routine clinical evaluation of patients with olfactory disorders using “Sniffin’ Sticks.”