Evaluation of olfactory bulbus volume and olfactory sulcus depth development with 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging

B Güney1, N Çullu2, M Y Özdemir2

  • 1Department of Radiology, Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University Medical Faculty, Muğla, Turkey. bunyaminguney@mu.edu.tr.

Folia Morphologica
|March 22, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Olfactory bulb volume (OBV) and olfactory sulcus depth (OSD) in children change with age and gender. These findings are crucial for identifying olfactory dysfunction in pediatric populations.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroimaging
  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Olfactory System Development

Background:

  • Olfactory bulb volume (OBV) and olfactory sulcus depth (OSD) are key indicators of olfactory system development.
  • Understanding normative values in pediatric populations is essential for diagnosing olfactory dysfunction.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate changes in OBV and OSD in healthy Turkish children aged 1 month to 18 years.
  • To analyze the influence of age groups and gender on OBV and OSD development.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 190 pediatric cranial MRIs using 3 Tesla MRI.
  • Paediatric cases categorized into four age groups: infantile, early childhood, childhood, and adolescence.
  • Coronal T2-weighted images were used for measuring mean, right, and left OBV and OSD.

Main Results:

  • Mean OBV was slightly larger in males than females (p=0.015).
  • No significant gender difference was observed for OSD (p=0.559).
  • Both OBV and OSD showed significant increases across different age groups (p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

  • Paediatric OBV and OSD exhibit distinct developmental patterns influenced by age and gender.
  • Establishing age- and gender-specific normative values is critical for detecting olfactory dysfunction in children.
Abstract