The investigators hypothesize that patients undergoing endoscopic endonasal skull base surgery experience clinically meaningful and modifiable disruptions in postoperative chemosensory function and quality of life, and the investigators further hypothesize that olfactory training in the postoperative period may significantly hasten normalization of patients' chemosensory perturbations. This tailored prospective study seeks to fulfill a significant gap in the understanding of the characteristics, implications, and treatment options for postoperative olfactory and gustatory impairment following endoscopic endonasal skull base surgery.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
QUADRUPLE
Enrollment
41
Participants perform olfactory training using sticks filled with scented essential oils.
Participants perform olfactory training using sticks filled with unscented medium chain triglycerides.
Johns Hopkins Medicine
Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Change in Olfactory function as assessed by the Sniffin Sticks olfactory testing kit
Olfactory function as determined using the commercially available "Sniffin' Sticks" olfactory testing kit. Olfactory function is tested in three domains: threshold, discrimination, and identification. For threshold testing, the most dilute concentration of odorant that the participant is able to reliably detect is determined. In discrimination testing, the participant is evaluated on their ability to discern the unique scent among three scented sticks. In identification testing, the patient names the smells using a multiple choice form which offers four definitions for every Sniffin' stick, only one of which is correct.
Time frame: Pre-operative visit (baseline), 2 weeks post-operative, 1 month post-operative, 3 months post-operative
Change in Quality of Life as assessed by the Anterior Skull Base Nasal Inventory-12
Quality of life questionnaire. Score range 0-60, where higher score is worse and indicates more onerous symptoms.
Time frame: Pre-operative visit (baseline), 2 weeks post-operative, 1 month post-operative, 3 months post-operative, 6 months post-operative
Change in Quality of Life as assessed by the ODOR (Olfactory Dysfunction Outcomes Rating) questionnaire
Quality of life questionnaire. Score range 0-112, where higher score is worse and indicates greater degree of olfactory dysfunction.
Time frame: Pre-operative visit (baseline), 2 weeks post-operative, 1 month post-operative, 3 months post-operative, 6 months post-operative
Change in Quality of Life as assessed by the Skull Base Inventory
Quality of life questionnaire. Score range 0-100, where higher score is better, indicative of less burden on quality of life.
Time frame: Pre-operative visit (baseline), 2 weeks post-operative, 1 month post-operative, 3 months post-operative, 6 months post-operative
Change in Quality of smell and taste as assessed by a Visual analog scale
Quality of smell and taste as indicated on a visual analog scale. Score range 0-100, where higher score is better and indicative of better smell and taste function.
Time frame: Pre-operative visit (baseline), 2 weeks post-operative, 1 month post-operative, 3 months post-operative, 6 months post-operative
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