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Journal of Laryngology and Otology, vol.140, no.1, pp.52-59, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
Objective. To investigate morphological and signal changes of the anterior olfactory nucleus (AON) on MRI in patients with olfactory dysfunction (OD) of varying aetiologies. Methods. A retrospective analysis of 135 patients with post-COVID-19, post-viral, or post-Traumatic OD was conducted. High-resolution MRI was used to assess AON signal intensity and area, as well as olfactory bulb (OB) morphology. Clinical evaluation included TDI scores and presence of parosmia. Results. AON signal abnormalities were present in 55.5% of cases. Post-COVID patients had significantly lower TDI scores than other groups. While AON signal and morphological differences were observed among aetiologies, consistent correlation with TDI scores was not found, except in limited subgroup analyses. Conclusion. AON abnormalities are common in OD, but do not reliably indicate severity or aetiologies. Further research is needed to determine their clinical relevance.