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Olfactory function in patients with ischemic stroke: a pilot study

  • Rhinology
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Abstract

The aim of this pilot study was to investigate olfactory function in unselected, cooperative patients with ischemic stroke and to gain information about olfactory perception in patients with distinct stroke localizations. Three ischemic stroke patients underwent olfactory testing using the Sniffin’ Sticks test and olfactory event-related potentials recording. All stroke patients were found to be normosmic or only slightly hyposmic when using a psychophysical testing device with age-adjusted norms. No responses or longer latencies on the affected side were found, however, when recording evoked potentials. This seems to argue for the idea that on the affected side it is often possible to document the objective lesion although the subjective perception of the patient appears normal.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neurological, Neuropsychological, Morphological and Movement Sciences Section, Department of Anatomy and Histology, University of Verona, Strada Le Grazie 8, 37134, Verona, Italy

    Maria Paola Cecchini

  2. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Dresden Medical School, Fetscherstrasse 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany

    Maria Paola Cecchini, Viola Bojanowski, Thomas Hummel & Antje Hähner

  3. Department of Neurology, University of Dresden Medical School, Fetscherstrasse 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany

    Ulf Bodechtel

Authors
  1. Maria Paola Cecchini
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  2. Viola Bojanowski
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  3. Ulf Bodechtel
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  4. Thomas Hummel
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  5. Antje Hähner
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Correspondence to Antje Hähner.

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Cecchini, M.P., Bojanowski, V., Bodechtel, U. et al. Olfactory function in patients with ischemic stroke: a pilot study. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 269, 1149–1153 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-011-1819-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-011-1819-0

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