q-Powders: a quick test for screening retronasal olfactory disorders with tasteless powders

• Published in: European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology Vol. 279; no. 2; pp. 779 - 784
• Main Authors: Pieniak, Michal, Oleszkiewicz, Anna, Klockow, Marie, Yoshino, Ayaho, Haehner, Antje, Hummel, Thomas
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.02.2022
• Subjects: Female; Head and Neck Surgery; Humans; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Neurosurgery; Odorants; Olfaction Disorders - diagnosis; Otorhinolaryngology; Powders; Rhinology; Smell; Olfactory disorders; q-Powders test; Retronasal olfaction; Olfaction
• ISSN: 0937-4477; 1434-4726; 1434-4726
• DOI: 10.1007/s00405-021-06849-8

Purpose To investigate the clinical utility of q-Powders—a retronasal identification screening test. Methods A total of 156 subjects (92 females, mean age: 54.5 years ± 17.3 years) completed a 3-item q-Powders retronasal identification test and a 16-items Sniffin’ Sticks orthonasal identification test. We analyzed whether the q-Powders test could differentiate between subjects with normosmia and subjects with an olfactory disorder. Results Our data indicated that subjects with an olfactory disorder scored lower in the q-Powders test than subjects with normosmia. The analyses revealed q-Powders test sensitivity of 84% and a test specificity of 64.9% with a score of 2 points taken as a cutoff for olfactory disorders. Conclusion The 3-item q-Powders retronasal test may be used for screening purposes in clinical research. Level of evidence 4