Quantitative Analysis of the Olfactory System in COVID-19: An MR Imaging Study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Anosmia or hyposmia, often accompanied by changes in taste, is recognized as a common symptom that can assist in the diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The pathogenesis of olfactory dysfunction in COVID-19 is not yet fully understood. MR imaging represents a useful anatomic imaging method for the evaluation of olfactory dysfunction associated with varying etiologies, including viral infection, trauma, and neurodegenerative processes. This case-control study was conducted to compare quantitative measurements of olfactory anatomic structures between patients diagnosed with COVID-19 associated with persistent olfactory dysfunction and healthy controls. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study has a retrospective design. Cranial MR imaging was performed on all participants in both the patient and control groups. The bilateral olfactory bulb volume, olfactory tract length, and olfactory sulcus depth were measured in all patients. RESULTS: A total of 116 people aged 18-60 years, including 36 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and 80 controls, were included in the study. All measured values were compared between the patient and control groups. The right, left, and total olfactory bulb volume values were significantly lower in the patient group than in the control group. The patient group also had significantly lower right and left olfactory sulcus depth and olfactory tract length values compared with those in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: MR imaging findings can be used to demonstrate olfactory injury in patients with COVID-19. The olfactory pathway may represent an alternative route for virus entry into the central nervous system.

Quantitative analysis of healthy olfactory sulcus depth, olfactory tract length and olfactory bulb volume in the paediatric population: a magnetic resonance study.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine the normal reference values for olfactory sulcus depth, olfactory tract length and olfactory bulb volume in the paediatric population with routine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and determine the relationship, if any, between these values and patient sex and age. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety patients with a median age of 8 years (age range: 3-17 years), consisting of 45 males and 45 females with normal brain MRI scans were evaluated. The patients were divided into three subgroups based on age range, with n = 30 per subgroup; group 1: young children (3-6 years), group 2: children (7-11 years) and group 3: adolescents (12-17 years). In the cranial MRI examination of all groups, the right, left and total olfactory bulb volume values were measured in mm3, the right and left olfactory tract length values and the right and left olfactory sulcus depth values were calculated manually in mm. Demographic data including sex and age were recorded. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the age groups in terms of sex. Right-left olfactory sulcus depth; right-left olfactory tract length and right-left total olfactory bulb volume values increased significantly when they are compared in terms of age groups (p < 0.0001, = 0.028; < 0.0001, < 0.0001; < 0.0001, < 0.0001; < 0.0001, respectively). There was no significant difference between right and left olfactory tract length and olfactory bulb volumes in all groups (p = 0.792 and p = 0.478), but the right olfactory sulcus depth was significantly larger than the left (p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Especially as the age progresses, olfactory tract length and olfactory bulb volume dimensions of olfactory nerve and olfactory sulcus depth should be checked during diagnosis of respective illnesses in paediatric population.

Duplication of the spleen accompanied by multiple anomalies of the thorax and abdomen: a rare case.

Duplication of the spleen, classified as a polysplenia syndrome, is a very rare anomaly. Polysplenia is a complex syndrome with a broad spectrum of abnormalities. Other abnormalities accompanying polysplenia have been previously reported. In this paper, we present a case of duplication of the spleen accompanied by multiple anomalies in the thorax and abdomen.

A computed tomography-based morphometric study of the styloid process.

BACKGROUND: The styloid process (SP) refers to a cylindrical piece projecting from the inferior of the temporal bone, situated anterior to the stylomastoid foramen. It is an anatomic formation close to major vessels and nerves, and its excessive elongation results in pathologies leading to anatomical disorders, such as Eagle's syndrome. Several studies have been conducted on SP in relation to its close proximity to vessels and nerves, but there is no study that reveals its distance to important anatomical formations, such as the internal auditory meatus (IAM), carotid canal (CC), cochlea, tegmen tympani (TT) and tragus. In the current study, we aimed to investigate the incidence of Eagle's syndrome based on morphometric measurements of SP. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The patient files archived in the Radiology Department of Adiyaman University Training and Research Hospital were retrospectively examined. The study was carried out on the data of patients for whom specialist radiologists found no pathology findings on the computed tomography images. A total of 77 individuals (36 females and 41 males) aged 22 to 54 years were included in the study. The length of SP and its distances to IAM, cochlea, CC, TT and tragus were obtained using computed tomography radiological measurements. RESULTS: When the individual measurements performed on computed tomography images were evaluated in men and women, no significant difference was found concerning the distance between SP and various anatomic structures in close proximity to SP (p > 0.05). However, there was a statistically significant difference between the genders in length of the right SP (p = 0.003) and left SP (p = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: This anthropometric study revealed the standard morphometric measurements of SP. We believe that the data obtained will help clinicians to identify and diagnose pathologies more easily.