Olfactory Functional Outcomes Following Expanded Endoscopic Endonasal Surgery for Non-Pituitary Anterior Skull Base Tumors

Background: Olfactory dysfunction is one of the risks of the endoscopic endonasal approach (EEA) for intracranial tumor resection. This risk may be increased for suprasellar and anterior cranial fossa tumors due to the proximity of the olfactory tract/bulb, the need for more extensive bony exposure, and the need for more extensive sinonasal dissection, including the harvest of a nasoseptal flap. Although olfactory dysfunction poses a significant impact on patients' quality of life, the likelihood of this complication following expanded EEA is not well understood. In this study, we investigate olfactory functional outcomes following EEA for non-pituitary pathologies to better elucidate the risk of iatrogenic hyposmia/anosmia.