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May 22, 2020
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Bilateral transient olfactory bulb edema during COVID-19–related anosmia

Thomas Laurendon, MD https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5135-3293, Thomas Radulesco, MD, PhD, Justine Mugnier, MD, Mélanie Gérault, PhD https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7396-659X, Christophe Chagnaud, MD, PhD, Ahmed-Ali El Ahmadi, MD https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4209-2113, and Arthur Varoquaux, MD, PhD https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7824-5142Authors Info & Affiliations
August 4, 2020 issue
95 (5) 224-225
https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000009850
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An asymptomatic 27-year-old man was diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by occupational medicine after contagion (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction [RT-PCR]). Four days after the diagnosis, he experienced complete anosmia and dysgeusia.1 On day 7, 1.5T MRI showed signs of bilateral olfactory bulb edema on 3D constructive interference in steady state T2-weighted imaging, demonstrated by severe enlargement2 (left: 73 mm3, right: 64 mm3) and an abnormally high signal intensity (figure). Olfactory clefts showed mild edema. The olfactory pathways, including the cortical projections (fluid-attenuated inversion recovery and diffusion-weighted imaging not shown), were normal. Sensory recovery and negative RT-PCR (positive on days 1, 2, and 10) appeared on day 14. MRI on day 24 confirmed the normalization of olfactory bulb signal and volumes (left: 22 mm3, right: 17 mm3).
Figure Transient olfactory bulb edema
Coronal 3D constructive interference in steady-state T2-weighted imaging (1.5T) during anosmia (day 7; A, C) compared to recovery (day 24; B, D). MRI shows olfactory bulb (ob; pink) transient volume and signal increase, olfactory cleft edema (OC; brown), and focal left ethmoid (eth; green) sinusitis (*), and normal cranial fossa (gray line) and orbit (orb; yellow).

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References

1.
Lechien JR, Chiesa-Estomba CM, De Siati DR, et al. Olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions as a clinical presentation of mild-to-moderate forms of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19): a multicenter European study. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol Epub 2020 Apr 6. Available at: link.springer.com/10.1007/s00405-020-05965-1.
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2.
Abolmaali ND, Hietschold V, Vogl TJ, Hüttenbrink KB, Hummel T. MR evaluation in patients with isolated anosmia since birth or early childhood. Am J Neuroradiol 2002;23:157–164.
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Published In

Neurology®
Volume 95 • Number 5 • August 4, 2020
Pages: 224-225
PubMed: 32444492

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© 2020 American Academy of Neurology.

Publication History

Published online: May 22, 2020
Published in print: August 4, 2020

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Disclosure

The authors report no disclosures relevant to the manuscript. Go to Neurology.org/N for full disclosures.

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No targeted funding reported.

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Thomas Laurendon, MD https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5135-3293
From the Departments of Medical Imaging (T.L., J.M., C.C., A.-A.E.A., A.V.) and ENT Surgery (T.R.), Conception University Hospital, and Center for Magnetic Resonance in Biology and Medicine (C.C., A.V.), UMR 7339, La Timone University Hospital, Aix-Marseille University, France; and Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (M.G.), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge.
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Thomas Radulesco, MD, PhD
From the Departments of Medical Imaging (T.L., J.M., C.C., A.-A.E.A., A.V.) and ENT Surgery (T.R.), Conception University Hospital, and Center for Magnetic Resonance in Biology and Medicine (C.C., A.V.), UMR 7339, La Timone University Hospital, Aix-Marseille University, France; and Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (M.G.), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge.
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Justine Mugnier, MD
From the Departments of Medical Imaging (T.L., J.M., C.C., A.-A.E.A., A.V.) and ENT Surgery (T.R.), Conception University Hospital, and Center for Magnetic Resonance in Biology and Medicine (C.C., A.V.), UMR 7339, La Timone University Hospital, Aix-Marseille University, France; and Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (M.G.), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge.
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Mélanie Gérault, PhD https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7396-659X
From the Departments of Medical Imaging (T.L., J.M., C.C., A.-A.E.A., A.V.) and ENT Surgery (T.R.), Conception University Hospital, and Center for Magnetic Resonance in Biology and Medicine (C.C., A.V.), UMR 7339, La Timone University Hospital, Aix-Marseille University, France; and Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (M.G.), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge.
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Christophe Chagnaud, MD, PhD
From the Departments of Medical Imaging (T.L., J.M., C.C., A.-A.E.A., A.V.) and ENT Surgery (T.R.), Conception University Hospital, and Center for Magnetic Resonance in Biology and Medicine (C.C., A.V.), UMR 7339, La Timone University Hospital, Aix-Marseille University, France; and Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (M.G.), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge.
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Ahmed-Ali El Ahmadi, MD https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4209-2113
From the Departments of Medical Imaging (T.L., J.M., C.C., A.-A.E.A., A.V.) and ENT Surgery (T.R.), Conception University Hospital, and Center for Magnetic Resonance in Biology and Medicine (C.C., A.V.), UMR 7339, La Timone University Hospital, Aix-Marseille University, France; and Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (M.G.), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge.
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Arthur Varoquaux, MD, PhD https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7824-5142
From the Departments of Medical Imaging (T.L., J.M., C.C., A.-A.E.A., A.V.) and ENT Surgery (T.R.), Conception University Hospital, and Center for Magnetic Resonance in Biology and Medicine (C.C., A.V.), UMR 7339, La Timone University Hospital, Aix-Marseille University, France; and Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (M.G.), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge.
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Notes

Correspondence Prof. Varoquaux [email protected] or [email protected]
Go to Neurology.org/N for full disclosures. Funding information and disclosures deemed relevant by the authors, if any, are provided at the end of the article.

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