Effect of Therapeutic Pulsed Ultrasound on Smell Dysfunction: A Case Study

Abstract

Olfactory dysfunction is one of the main symptoms of Chronic Rhinosinusitis (CRS) caused by bacteria in the form of biofilm. Therapeutic Pulsed Ultrasound (TPU), besides its anti-inflammatory effects has the ability to disintegrate the strong walls of biofilms (community of bacteria), thus help relieve the symptoms of CRS, one of the major symptoms of which is olfactory dysfunction. Case Description: A 42-year-old man with CRS whose olfactory sense had gradually declined over two years, underwent TPU for ten sessions (three days a week) on his maxillary and frontal sinuses. Findings of CT scan and the Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-20) questionnaire were employed to assess the severity of the symptoms. Moreover, the Iran Smell Identification Test (Iran-SIT) was used to measure the degree of olfactory dysfunction. Smell dysfunction and the severity of symptom in CRS relatively improved according to SNOT-20 and ISIT scales by 80% and 41%, respectively. It appears that TPU can improve the olfactory dysfunction and other symptoms caused by CRS.