Deviated septum surgery caused my complete loss of smell. Can this be corrected?

Question

My sense of taste was thankfully not affected. A nerve may have been cut. What else could have caused this? Can this be surgically corrected? What are the risks?

William Marshall Guy, MD · Answer

Hello Ceejaycrumb,It is certainly not common to have any changes in smell with a septoplasty.  The nerve that senses smell is located high up and towards the back of the nose which is an area not usually addressed with a septoplasty.  A sinus surgery has a great chance of affecting things, but that is also low.  The more common etiology for smell changes would be swelling inside the nose affecting the ability of the smells to get to the nose.  Taste is not affected by the nose (salt, sweet, bitter, sour) but flavor is affected.  If you notice the flavor of food (which encompasses smell) has not changed then your sense of smell is intact.  I would recommend you follow up with your surgeon to better assess what is going on.I hope this helps and good luck.

Deviated septum surgery caused my complete loss of smell. Can this be corrected?

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