Skip Navigation

Chemical Senses 2009 34(6):523-527; doi:10.1093/chemse/bjp029
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Croy, I.
Right arrow Articles by Hummel, T.
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Croy, I.
Right arrow Articles by Hummel, T.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Comparison between Odor Thresholds for Phenyl Ethyl Alcohol and Butanol

Ilona Croy, Kornelia Lange, Franziska Krone, Simona Negoias, Han-Seok Seo and Thomas Hummel

Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Smell and Taste Clinic, University of Dresden Medical School, Fetscherstrasse 74, 01307 Dresden, Germany

Correspondence to be sent to: Ilona Croy, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Smell and Taste Clinic, University of Dresden Medical School ("Technische Universität Dresden"), Fetscherstrasse 74, 01307 Dresden, Germany. e-mail: ilona.croy{at}mailbox.tu-dresden.de


  Abstract

Aim of the study was to compare results of odor threshold test using different numbers of dilution steps, separately for butanol and phenyl ethyl alcohol (PEA). Methods: A total of 116 subjects participated (29 patients with olfactory dysfunction and 87 normosmic subjects). The olfactory threshold for butanol and PEA was examined with 8 (wide step method) and 16 (narrow step method) dilutions. With a delay of about 1 week, all 4 tests were repeated. Results: Test time was shortened by approximately 2 min (25%) for patients when using the wide step method. Butanol and PEA thresholds were not significantly different; in addition, a significant correlation was found between thresholds for the 2 odors (r = 0.60, P < 0.001). Threshold test with both odorants as well as with wide or narrow step method provided satisfying reproducibility (test–retest reliability: r = 0.80–0.84, P < 0.001). Patients with olfactory dysfunction could be clearly separated from normosmic subjects using all 4 different tests. Discussion: The results indicate that threshold testing with PEA is an alternative to butanol. The wide step method provided similar results as the narrow step method but required less time.

Key words: olfactory testing, psychophysics, smell

Accepted 5 May 2009


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Chem SensesHome page
A. Haehner, A.-M. Mayer, B. N. Landis, I. Pournaras, K. Lill, V. Gudziol, and T. Hummel
High Test-Retest Reliability of the Extended Version of the "Sniffin' Sticks" Test
Chem Senses, October 1, 2009; 34(8): 705 - 711.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.