Sense of Smell and Daily Life After Nose-Route Skull Base Surgery
Original title: Olfactory-Related Quality of Life After Endoscopic Transsphenoidal Surgery.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was tested in people. That is the most reliable kind of research we share.
This was a look back at people who already had this surgery, not a test of a new treatment.
The short version
After surgery through the nose, some people said their sense of smell bothered them in daily life, even when smell tests came back normal.
What was studied. Doctors looked at 112 people who had endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal surgery, an operation done through the nose, between August 2019 and June 2022. Each person did smell tests and answered surveys about smell, daily life, and health before and after surgery.
What they found. After surgery, scores showing smell-related problems in daily life went up. Scores for physical health and mental health did not change. About 24.1% of the group said their sense of smell was worse on a survey, even though their smell test results were normal. Women had more decline in smell-related quality of life than men. Three people had a leak of spinal fluid after surgery, and that was linked to worse scores, but that group was very small.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: If you are having this kind of surgery, your sense of smell may feel different afterward, even if a smell test says it is fine. It is fair to ask your surgeon about this before and after the operation. How you feel about your own smell matters and is worth bringing up.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean the surgery harms smell for everyone. It was a look back at records from one group of patients, not a test of a new treatment. It cannot prove what caused the changes. It is not a treatment, and it is not a cure for anything.
Source: PubMed, August 7, 2026 · Read the original
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