Using an image-guided minimally invasive procedure, researchers may be able to restore the sense of smell in patients who have suffered with long-COVID, according to research being presented next week at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.
While most patients do recover their sense of smell over time, some patients with long COVID continue to have these symptoms for months, or even years, after infection, negatively impacting their appetite for food and their overall quality of life.
"Patients can develop a distaste for foods and drinks they used to enjoy." The distorted sense of smell can also affect smell perception, and some patients may suffer from phantosmia, a condition that causes people to detect smells-foul or pleasant-that aren't in their environment.
To assess a possible treatment for patients with long-term post-COVID parosmia, researchers looked at the potential benefits of CT-guided stellate ganglion block.
"We have been surprised at some outcomes, including near 100% resolution of phantosmia in some patients, throughout the trial." Follow-up was obtained for 37 patients, with 22 of the 37 reporting improved symptoms at one week post-injection.
Twenty-six patients returned for a second injection given on the other side of their neck after at least a six-week interval.
While the second injection was not effective in patients who did not respond to the first injection, 86% of patients who reported some improvement after the first injection reported additional improvement after the contralateral injection.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-11-treatment-patients-covid.html
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