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The human olfactory mucosa

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Abstract

Studies of the tissues of the human olfactory mucosa have been performed to investigate olfactory dysfunction and, more recently, olfactory mucosa has attracted a novel interest of investigators because it can be used as an early marker of neurodegenerative conditions of the brain and as a source of multipotent neural stem cells, with applications in regenerative medicine. The olfactory mucosa is readily available to the otolaryngologist, but the harvesting of this tissue must be safe, effective, and reliable, obtaining as little tissue as necessary, while avoiding unnecessary harm to the remaining olfactory tissue and function. The purpose of this review is to summarize the results of the most important studies and knowledge with regard to the human olfactory mucosa and its applications, emphasizing the issue of the distribution of the olfactory mucosa in the nasal cavities.

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The first author takes full responsibility for the content of the paper. Ethical approval was not applicable. The authors have no conflicts of interests to declare.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Serviço de Otorrinolaringologia, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Hospital de Egas Moniz, Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Ocidental, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Rua da Junqueira, 126, 1349-019, Lisbon, Portugal

    Pedro Alberto Escada & José Madeira da Silva

  2. Serviços de Neurologia e Neuropatologia, Hospital de Egas Moniz, Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Ocidental, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal

    Carlos Lima

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  1. Pedro Alberto Escada
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  2. Carlos Lima
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  3. José Madeira da Silva
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Correspondence to Pedro Alberto Escada.

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Escada, P.A., Lima, C. & Madeira da Silva, J. The human olfactory mucosa. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 266, 1675–1680 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-009-1073-x

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