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Updated: Jun 15, 2026

Modeling and Simulations of Olfactory Drug Delivery with Passive and Active Controls of Nasally Inhaled Pharmaceutical Aerosols
Published on: May 20, 2016
A comparative analysis of intranasal volume and olfactory function using a three-dimensional reconstruction of
Beom Cho Jun1, Sun Wha Song, Byung Guk Kim
1Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, College of Medicine, Uijeongbu St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, #65-1 Geumo-Dong, Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi-Do, 480-717, Korea.
Abstract:
The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the intranasal airway around the turbinates and olfactory function. In total, 32 nostrils of 16 patients who were awaiting septal surgery were involved in this study. For measurements of the volume of the nasal cavity, paranasal sinus computed tomography scans were performed and reconstructed into three-dimensional images. The Butanol Threshold Test and Cross-Cultural Smell Identification Test were used to evaluate olfactory function. The results were analyzed with Pearson's test. The volume around the turbinates was significantly correlated with the olfactory threshold. However, olfactory identification had no significant correlation with each volume. The airway around the turbinates is very important for nasal airflow and its volume influences olfactory function. Understanding such relationships may help in preserving or improving olfactory function in septal, turbinate or sinus surgery. Further studies are needed regarding the relationships between not only the volume of the nasal cavity and nasal airflow, but also between nasal volume changes and olfactory function.
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