November 21, 2023
2 min read
Add topic to email alerts
Receive an email when new articles are posted on
Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on .
”
data-action=”subscribe”>
Subscribe
We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact [email protected].
Back to Healio
Key takeaways:
- Overall, 22 of 37 participants reported improved symptoms 1 week after injection.
- Of those who responded to the injection after 1 week, there was a mean 49% improvement in symptoms at 3 months.
A minimally invasive, CT-guided procedure was linked to a restored sense of smell among patients with long COVID, according to results of a small study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.
In a previous study, 60.5% of adults with COVID-19 said they lost their sense of smell, a condition known as parosmia. Among them, about 25% partially regained their sense of smell and 3.7% never did.
Overall, 22 of 37 participants reported improved symptoms 1 week after injection. Image Source: Adobe Stock
“Post-COVID parosmia is common and increasingly recognized,” Adam C. Zoga, MD, MBA, a professor of musculoskeletal radiology at Jefferson Health, said in a press release. “Patients can develop a distaste for foods and drinks they used to enjoy.”
For the current study, Zoga and colleagues assessed the effectiveness of CT-guided stellate ganglion block among 54 patients who had post-COVID parosmia for at least 6 months. The patients had a mean age of 46 years, and 74% were women.
Of 37 patients who had follow-up data, 22 (59%) reported improved symptoms 1 week after the injection. Among these 22 patients, 18 (82%) reported a significant improvement after 1 month. By 3 months, there was a mean improvement of 49%, ranging from 10% to 100%.
“The initial patient had a tremendously positive outcome, almost immediately, with continued improvement to the point of symptom resolution at 4 weeks,” Zoga said. “We have been surprised at some outcomes, including near 100% resolution of phantosmia in some patients, throughout the trial.”
Zoga and colleagues noted that 26 participants — eight and 14 of whom reported no or some improvement 1 week after the first injection, respectively — returned for a contralateral injection with at least a 6-week interval. Among these participants, all of whom reported no improvement after the first injection similarly reported no improvement after the contralateral injection. However, 86% of patients who reported some improvement after the first injection reported additional improvement after the contralateral injection.
the researchers confirmed that Horner’s syndrome occurred in 95% of all injections, and symptoms resolved within 30 minutes after the injection.
“Other treatments have failed to date,” Zoga said. “This injection is working.”
References:
- New treatment restores sense of smell in patients with long COVID. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1007873. Published Nov. 20, 2023. Accessed Nov. 20, 2023.
- Zoga A, et al. Stellate ganglion block with CT guidance for post-COVID parosmia. Presented at: Radiology Conference & Annual Meeting; Nov. 26-30, 2023; Chicago.
Sources/Disclosures
Collapse
Source:
Zoga A, et al. Stellate ganglion block with CT guidance for post-COVID parosmia. Presented at: Radiology Conference & Annual Meeting; Nov. 26-30, 2023; Chicago.
Disclosures:
Healio could not determine relevant financial disclosures at the time of publication.
Add topic to email alerts
Receive an email when new articles are posted on
Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on .
”
data-action=”subscribe”>
Subscribe
We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact [email protected].
Back to Healio
