Search

Objective: To investigate prevalence and recovery of olfactory dysfunction (OD) in COVID‐19 patients according to the disease severity. Methods: From 22 March to 3 June 2020, 2581 COVID‐19 patients were identified from 18 European hospitals. Epidemiological and clinical data were extracted at baseline and within the 2‐month post‐infection. Results: The prevalence of OD was significantly higher in mild form (85.9%) compared with moderate‐to‐critical forms (4.5–6.9%; P = 0.001). Of the 1916 patients with OD, 1363 completed the evaluations (71.1%). A total of 328 patients (24.1%) did not subjectively recover olfaction 60 days after the onset of the dysfunction. The mean duration of self‐reported OD was 21.6 ± 17.9 days. Objective olfactory evaluations identified hyposmia/anosmia in 54.7% and 36.6% of mild and moderate‐to‐critical forms, respectively (P = 0.001). At 60 days and 6 months, 15.3% and 4.7% of anosmic/hyposmic patients did not objectively recover olfaction, respectively. The higher baseline severity of objective olfactory evaluations was strongly predictive of persistent OD (P < 0.001). Conclusion: OD is more prevalent in mild COVID‐19 forms than in moderate‐to‐critical forms. OD disappeared in 95% of patients regarding objective olfactory evaluations at 6 months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the clinical features of patients who had two demonstrated coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) episodes. Methods: Data of patients with both COVID‐19 episodes were recruited from 22 March to 27 December 2020. The following outcomes were studied: epidemiological, comorbidities, prevalence and severity of general and otolaryngological symptom, olfactory, aroma, and gustatory dysfunctions. A comparison between first and second episodes was performed. Results: Forty‐five patients reported having two confirmed COVID‐19 episodes. The majority of patients had mild infections in both episodes. The second clinical episode was significantly similar to the first. The symptom duration of the second episode was shorter than the first. The occurrence of loss of smell was unpredictable from the first to the second episode. Conclusion: The recurrence of COVID‐19 symptoms is associated with a similar clinical picture than the first episode in patients with initial mild‐to‐moderate COVID episode. The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the development of second episode remain uncertain and may involve either true reinfection or virus reactivation from sanctuaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Olfactory dysfunction represents one of the most frequent symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019, affecting about 70 per cent of patients. However, the pathogenesis of the olfactory dysfunction in coronavirus disease 2019 has not yet been elucidated. Case report: This report presents the radiological and histopathological findings of a patient who presented with anosmia persisting for more than three months after infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2. Conclusion: The biopsy demonstrated significant disruption of the olfactory epithelium. This shifts the focus away from invasion of the olfactory bulb and encourages further studies of treatments targeted at the surface epithelium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The objectives of this meta-analysis were to summarize the key surgical procedures for UVCP and to evaluate which of these is associated with better results in terms of vocal improvement. Methods: A systematic review of the literature was conducted in search of articles focused on the comparison of voice outcome between different techniques for the UVCP treatment. Then, a quantitative analysis was carried out for papers published from 2013 onwards, reporting only adult patients with unilateral paralysis for each study, and each surgical technique was evaluated for its capability of achieving good functional outcomes in terms of GRBAS-I scale and maximum phonation time in seconds (MPT). Results: The search identified 1853 publications. A total of 159 articles were stratified and included according to our selection criteria. 21 out of 159 articles were selected for quantitative synthesis. For trans-oral techniques: the mean GRBAS-I scale were 2.33 before injection and 0.41 after injection. The mean MPT before injection were 4.78 and 12.50 after injection. For open techniques the mean GRBAS-I scale were 2.43 before surgery and 0.68 after surgery. For open technique, the mean MPT were 3.50 before surgery and 12.40 after surgery. Conclusions: The two types of techniques lead to an improvement in terms of vocal outcomes emphasizing that from the examined literature an indication emerges to perform an early injection because this could reduce the possible need for a more invasive intervention of permanent medialization in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a case of unilateral Keros type III variant of the cribriform plate (olfactory fossa >7 mm deep) that caused non-traumatic pneumocephalus. A 61-year-old male patient presented to the emergency room complaining of acute-onset headache after blowing his nose. Computed tomographic (CT) examination showed a massive pneumocephalus; a CT scan from three months before showed a Keros type III variant. The defect was repaired endoscopically with mucoperichondrial and mucoperiostal grafts. Pneumocephalus that has developed in a Keros type III variant has been theorised about, but never reported to our knowledge. Radiologists should be familiar with the Keros classification so that they can identify patients who are at increased risk of fractures of the cribriform plate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To illustrate the availability, effectiveness, and practical use of Open-Source tools in developing a radiology paper from its beginning to its presentation and publication. Practical use of a complete set of Open-Source applications for writing, e-mail corresponding, slide show, image retrieval, and manipulation is shown by simulating a scientific paper development. Open-Source software proved to be an inexpensive, effective, widely compatible, and user-friendly alternative to commercial toolkits in developing and deploying a scientific paper, either on paper or on slide show. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]