Long Term Olfactory Outcomes Following Frontal Sinus Surgery in Chronic Rhinosinusitis

Objectives/Hypothesis No studies have evaluated the impact of the types of frontal sinus surgery (FSS) on objective olfaction scores. This study evaluated olfactory function and quality of life (QOL) in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) patients before and after total ethmoidectomy with frontal sinusotomy (FS). Study Design Prospective cohort study. Methods A prospective study of adult CRS patients undergoing FSS (Draf 2 or Draf 3 procedures) was conducted at a tertiary care center. Primary outcomes included brief smell identification test (BSIT) and sinonasal outcome test‐22 (SNOT‐22), which were assessed during preoperative evaluation, 6 to 9 weeks postoperatively, and 12 to 24 weeks postoperatively. Normosmia was defined as BSIT ≥9. Statistical significance was determined using the Wilcoxon signed‐rank test with α = .05. Results Thirty‐eight patients followed up 12 to 24 weeks after FSS. The differences between baseline and long‐term outcomes for BSIT (6.11 vs. 8.24, P = .00034) and SNOT‐22 (55.49 vs. 24.32, P