An interventional study of Scalpel and Cautery in Olfaction, sponsored by All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur. Recruiting at 1 site in India. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-30.
Sponsored by All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
Olfaction is a prominent entity that determines a person's quality of life. During human evolution, olfaction has played an essential role in determining safe food, assessing threats, and developing social relationships. Endoscopic endonasal surgeries are widely used today for the removal of brain tumors involving the pituitary and skull base. The minimal invasiveness, rapid recovery, better visualization, and lower occurrence of complication make endonasal endoscopic surgery an ideal approach for tumors involving the pituitary and midline skull base. However, the olfactory epithelium is at risk of injury during endoscopic skull base surgeries due to the orientation of the olfactory epithelium fibers.It has been found that the olfactory neuroepithelium extends from the cribriform plate superiorly to the septum for the superior-most 1 to 2 cm medially and onto the upper half of the superior turbinates laterally.It also extends from the face of the sphenoid posteriorly to the attachment of the middle turbinate anteriorly.This makes the olfactory fibers susceptible to injury during endonasal surgery that requires superior or upper limb septal incisions, such as the pedicled nasoseptal flap (the Hadad-Bassagasteguy flap) and modified nasoseptal rescue flap.It has been debated whether using a scalpel instead of cautery could have a differential effect on the olfaction of an individual, as some surgeons believe that the heat generated by a cautery injures the nearby olfactory mucosa.This study aims at determining the method which is better at preserving the olfactory capacity of an individual undergoing endoscopic endonasal skull base surgery.
180 studies on the registry are indexed under Anosmia; 45 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 80 is above the median of 60 across 114 interventional studies indexed under Anosmia.
Browse Anosmia studies →All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur is the lead sponsor of 4 studies on the registry; 4 are open to participants now.
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-Patients undergoing endoscopic endonasal skull base surgeries that require the raising of a nasoseptal flap
Exclusion Criteria:
During endoscopic endonasal skull base surgery,scalpel will be used to elevate the nasoseptal flap.
Procedure: Scalpel
During endoscopic endonasal skull base surgery,cautery will be used to elevate the nasoseptal flap.
Procedure: Cautery
During endoscopic endonasal skull base surgery,scalpel will be used to elevate the nasoseptal flap.
During endoscopic endonasal skull base surgery,cautery will be used to elevate the nasoseptal flap.
Combined Olfactory Score (I-smell test)
Threshold odour identification score and specific odour identification score will be added to form a Combined Olfactory Score.
Time frame: Preoperatively,Immediate postoperatively,3-6 months postoperatively
Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)
Visual analogue scale scoring from 0-10 to measure olfaction. (with higher score indicating better olfaction capacity)
Time frame: Preoperatively,Immediately postoperatively,3-6 months postoperatively
22-item Sino Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) questionnaire
It covers a range of sinonasal symptoms and their impact on social and emotional well-being
Time frame: Preoperatively,Immediate postoperatively,3-6 months postoperatively
Started May 2025 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Jan 2027, 20 months after the start.
Of 50 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Anosmia, half reached primary completion within 28 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 14 and three quarters within 37. This study's planned 20 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 50 studies reached it within 28 months; a quarter within 14 and three quarters within 37.
Since we started tracking on Sep 25, 2026, the dates moved once, on Oct 30, 2026: primary completion Aug 2026 → Jan 2027 and completion Aug 2026 → Jan 2027.
Earlier changes are on the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur