Characterization of olfactory dysfunction.

Management of dysosmic patients frequently is hampered by an incomplete description of their chief complaint and sometimes inadequate qualitative analysis of their symptoms. Qualitative analysis of olfactory dysfunction by an Odorant Confusion Matrix helps to characterize more fully sense of smell in the dysosmic patient. It is well grounded in psychophysical theory, thereby permitting physiological inferences about specific neural dysfunctions. The quantitative measure derived from the matrix correlates well with another quantitative measure of olfactory ability, the Smell identification Test, and provides the opportunity for valid comparisons among and within patients. Examination of illustrative case reports demonstrates that the qualitative features of the Odorant Confusion Matrix offer additional insights to support etiologic diagnoses of disturbances in sense of smell.