Prognostic value of olfactory nerve damage measured with thallium-based olfactory imaging in patients with idiopathic olfactory dysfunction

Idiopathic olfactory disorder is resistant to treatment, and the recovery time is long. This study investigated the prognostic value of the migration of nasally administered thallium-201 to the olfactory bulb (thallium migration to the OB), a measure of olfactory nerve damage, in patients with idiopathic olfactory disorders. Twenty-four patients with idiopathic olfactory disorders were enrolled in the study (7 women and 17 men; aged 23–73 years). We retrospectively analyzed potential prognostic markers in subjects who underwent thallium-based olfactory imaging with the nasal administration of thallium-201 before conventional treatment with the Japanese herbal medicine tokishakuyakusan and compared those data with the prognosis. Log-rank tests were performed to assess the relationship between thallium migration to the OB (<4.6% [low] vs. ≥4.6% [high]; data dichotomized at the optimal cutoff value) and the duration until recovery of the odor recognition threshold determined by a standard olfactory function test (T&T olfactometry) after the treatment. Upon statistical analysis, we found that high thallium migration to the OB was significantly correlated with better prognosis in patients. Our results suggest that patients with intact olfactory nerve fibers could be selected using thallium-based imaging for the long-term follow-up of olfactory dysfunction.