London doctors were able to restore patients’ sense of smell and taste, which disappeared after COVID-19
In London, doctors have successfully restored smell and taste to patients who lost these senses due to COVID-19. For this, surgeons used an innovative operation during which the nasal airways were expanded, informs The Guardian.
Long COVID, or post-covid syndrome, is a term that describes long-term symptoms that persist or appear after recovery from the acute phase of COVID-19. They can last from several weeks to several months and vary in nature and intensity. Loss of smell and taste is one of more than 200 symptoms reported by patients with prolonged COVID-19.
Surgeons at the London University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) have already successfully treated a dozen patients who had significant olfactory disorders after infection. All of these patients had lost their sense of smell for more than two years, and conventional treatments such as olfactory training or corticosteroids had failed.
As part of a study aimed at finding new treatment methods, doctors tested the technique of functional septorhinoplasty (fSRP). It is usually used to correct the curvature of the nasal septum and widen the nasal passages.
This procedure improves the flow of air to the olfactory region, located in the upper part of the nasal cavity and responsible for the perception of smells. Doctors noted that after the operation, more odorous substances – chemical compounds with a smell – reached this area. According to them, the increased supply of odorous substances to the olfactory region “triggers” the recovery of the ability to smell in patients who have lost it due to Long COVID.
