In Reply.—I appreciate Scott's comments, and recognize the major contributions of the Connecticut Taste and Smell Center, Farmington.
My report was preliminary in nature and additional study is clearly indicated.1 Several points are worthy, however, of reemphasis:
1. The report was the first documenting correction of anosmia using state-of-the-art psychophysiologic testing and treatment.
2. Histologic study of the receptors showed them to be normal in spite of documented anosmia.
3. Long-term correction of the anosmia was achieved.
4. Patients who do not respond to the preoperative steroid test have not experienced normosmia postoperatively.
On the other hand, multicenter double-blind studies of larger numbers of patients would clearly be helpful (although others have also informally reported correction of anosmia employing the methods described).2
While I would partially concur with Scott's concluding statement, "... patients, together with their physicians, must judge whether the seriousness of their sensory dysfunction supersedes the potential