I have a deviated septum and enlarged turbinates. I plan to have the condition corrected surgically when it is convenient. I am 43 years old and also will be undergoing a tonsillectomy due to enlarged tonsils and the resulting sleep apnea.
As long as I can remember, my sense of smell has been almost non-existent (I used to work in a medical lab as an entry clerk and had to sometimes retrieve paperwork between a fecal container and a plasic bag; people across the room were dying, and I couldn't smell anything.) Will the nasal operation offer any improvement in my sense of smell?
Answer ------------------------
While it is possible that your lack of sense of smell is related to anatomic nasal airway obstruction, the prognosis for improving your sense of smell with the surgery described is very small considering your inference that your lack of smell sense has been present for many years. I would not recommend surgery if that was your primary motivation. Nasal septal repair should be recommended primarily for nasal airway blockage, related sinus problems, chronic nose bleeding due to deviations of the septum, or sleep apnea, but not primarily to improve the sense of smell as an isolated symptom.
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Steve Dankle, MD
Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
Milwaukee, Wis
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