The human vomeronasal organ: To preserve or not?

Dr Tjasse D Bruintjes, ear, nose, and throat surgeon at Leiden University Medical Center, and Dr Ronald LAW Bleys, anatomist at the University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands, conducted extensive research on the elusive organ to settle the debate for good. [...]is the VNO functional in humans? Based on the available evidence, Bruintjes and Bleys conclude that the human VNO is most likely a vestigial organ - an evolutionary relic - that has no evident functionality or importance. [...]the VNO does not require special attention and need not be preserved during surgery. H Lively discussions at nasal surgery courses about the significance of a septal mucosal pit prompted usto look into this structure in more detail. ff Do you think there is a need to study the organ further or do you opine that the scientific research should focus on the olfactory bulb instead? H It may be of interest to investigate whether certain molecular aspects of developing human VNO epithelial cells and/or functional cells of the VNO are present elsewhere in humans, such as in the olfactory bulb.