A member asked:

Is there any permanent cure for atrophic rhinitis disease? i am atrophic rhinitis patient.i lost my smelling sensation completely. can i get back my smell sensation?

3 doctors weighed in across 2 answers
Dr. Michael Wolfe answered

Specializes in Head & Neck Surgery

With : With newer operative techniques and knowledge about atrophic rhinitis, we see it much less frequently. I have not heard that loss of smell was a prominent feature, unless the loss is due to the reason you got surgery in your nose (assuming that you had surgery) in the first place. Many things have been tried to decrease the symptoms (main symptom being poor breathing through the nose). A new technique is to implant a "filler" under the lining of the septum to bulk it up. I would be careful when trying new techniques, they may help the symptoms but will likely not be curative.

Answered 10/3/2016

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On : On what clinical basis were you diagnosed with atrophic rhinitis? Have you undergone aggressive endonasal surgery in which you lost a large part of your mucosal lining ( large septal perforation, over-resected turbinates, etc.) or are we just talking about a dry nose? Do you have chronic ethmoid sinus disease? Do you have a history of nasal polyps and undergone prior sinus surgery? These questions help understand the disease process, possible etiology, and best course of action. As a general rule, the longer one has anosmia, the less likely and incomplete the recovery of smell function is. Excessive dryness can affect smell because odorants ( molecules from air in vapor form ) must dissolve in mucous and then interact with filaments of our olfactory cells. At the very least, i would initiate an aggressive form of endonasal hygiene in the form of nasal saline irrigations, use of pretz or ponaris sprays/emollients, and if you haven't done so already, obtain a current ct study of the sinuses to address the questions posed. The goal is to keep the remaining nasal mucosa moist and clear of retained crusts or inspissated mucous. As far as i know, there is no permanent cure for true atrophic rhinitis , "empty nose syndrome", or ozena (essentially the same thing), only treatment directed at symptomatic improvement.

Answered 10/3/2016

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