Platelet-Rich Plasma for Posttraumatic Olfactory Dysfunction: Preliminary Report of 33 Patients

The platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection into the olfactory clefts has been suggested as an effective treatment for long-lasting post-viral olfactory dysfunction (OD). Currently, no prospective clinical studies have been conducted in other OD etiologies. In this preliminary study, the PRP injection outcomes were investigated in 33 posttraumatic OD patients (19 females; mean duration: 55.6 ± 45.1 months), and olfactory outcomes were compared with those of patients adhering to an olfactory training (OT). Following PRP injection, 66.7% of posttraumatic patients reported subjective improvement. Threshold, discrimination, and identification (TDI) scores significantly increased in both groups, achieving a minimal clinically important difference only in posttraumatic injected patients. In the posttraumatic group, the baseline TDI (8.4 ± 8.1) significantly increased at the 3-month posttreatment (16.5 ± 9.6; P = .003). The 3-month TDI score was significantly higher in posttraumatic injected patients versus OT patients (16.5 ± 9.6 vs 13.3 ± 8.5; P = .038). PRP injection can be an option for posttraumatic OD patients to improve olfactory recovery.