Zusammenfassung

Olfactory deterioration is a major consequence of total laryngectomy that results from the permanent separation of the upper and lower airways. Total laryngectomy not only affects the natural voice lost, but it brings about other psychosocial problems. Leon et al.1 noted that the inability to detect smoke or other odorous danger signals can threaten the personal safety of patients after laryngectomy. Impaired olfactory function adversely impacts their quality of life, which contributes to weight loss and poor nutritional status because the ability to sense different flavors requires a functional olfactory epithelium.1 The inability to detect bodily odors can cause problems in daily life and the inability to perceive agreeable odors or fragrances can be experienced as a significant loss. Since the senses called “tastes” are dependent on retronasal stimulation of the olfactory receptors, the perception of such tastes will also be negatively influenced by the loss of the sense of smell.2 Olfaction is either a passive or active process. Passive olfaction occurs during normal nasal breathing while active processes occur during smelling and sniffing. Hilgers et al. 3 noted that total laryngectomy inevitably results in the loss of passive smelling and only a minority of patients are still able to actively smell anything. Their study of 63 laryngectomees found that about two thirds of the patients were anosmic and that the rest had difficulty in smelling.3 Tests for olfactory acuity Different olfactory function tests for patients who underwent total laryngectomy have been developed in the Philippines and around the world over the past decades. The Jet Stream Olfactometer (JSO, Nagashima Medical Instruments Co., Japan) was developed as a modification of the T and T olfactometer (Takasago Industry, Tokyo, Japan), an olfaction test kit that includes five odorants.4 The JSO includes three of the same five odorants; odorant A- a dilution of β-phenyl ethyl alcohol, odorant B- a dilution of cyclotene and odorant C- a dilution ...