The validity of CCCRC test in patients with nasal polyposis

Both the Connecticut Chemosensory Clinical Research Center (CCCRC) test and Cross Cultural Smell Identification Test (CC-SIT) are used to assess the sense of smell in patients all over the world. Our aim is to know whether the CCCRC test is a valid olfactory test in comparison with CC-SIT. Therefore, we have done a prospective study in 60 adult patients with nasal polyposis to compare the validity of CCCRC with UPSIT. We used the CCCRC olfactory test made up of a threshold and suprathreshold test while CC-SIT relies solely upon suprathreshold measurement. We determined the specificity, sensitivity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value for patients suffering nasal polyposis with the CCCRC test. The validity index was 95% and accuracy rate was 8%. We determined unit cost and the reliability of the CCCRC test. For patients with nasal polyposis: the sensitivity was 86%; the specificity was 94%; the positive predictive value was 93% and the negative predictive value was 88%. The reliability was 92%. The unit cost of the CCCRC was 5.60 euro. The CCCRC test is a valid test in comparison with CC-SIT. CCCRC is cheap and can be used in routine clinical settings.