At a glance
ClinicalIndex Comparison Record- ✓Age 18–70 years
- ✓Confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis at least 12 months prior with self-reported olfactory dysfunction
- ✓Objective olfactory loss (UPSIT ≤34 in women, ≤33 in men) persisting after viral recovery
- ✓Ability to read, write, and understand English
- ✕Pre-existing smell loss prior to COVID-19 infection
- ✕Chronic rhinosinusitis
- ✕Prior sinonasal or skull base surgery
- ✕Neurodegenerative disorders (Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, ALS, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia)
Standardized by ClinicalIndex from the ClinicalTrials.gov record · verify against the source.
Stellate Ganglion Block for the Treatment of COVID-19-Induced Olfactory Dysfunction: A Prospective Pilot Study
In Brief
A Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating Stellate Ganglion Block for Anosmia and 3 related conditions. Completed, enrolled 20 participants across 1 site.
Detailed Summary
Chronic olfactory dysfunction from the COVID-19 pandemic is a growing public health crisis with up to 1.2 million people in the Unites States affected. Olfactory dysfunction impacts one's quality of life significantly by decreasing the enjoyment of foods, creating environmental safety concerns, and affecting one's ability to perform certain jobs. Olfactory dysfunction is also an independent predictor of anxiety, depression, and even mortality. While the pandemic has increased the interest by the scientific community in combating the burgeoning health crisis, few effective treatments currently exist for olfactory dysfunction. Furthermore, patients impacted by "long COVID," or chronic symptoms after an acute COVID-19 infection, experience impairments other than olfactory and gustatory dysfunction, such as chronic dyspnea, impaired memory and concentration, and severe fatigue. These symptoms have been hypothesized to be a result of sympathetic positive feedback loops and dysautonomia. Stellate ganglion blocks have been proposed to treat this hyper-sympathetic activation by blocking the sympathetic neuronal firing and resetting the balance of the autonomic nervous system. Studies prior to the COVID-19 pandemic have supported a beneficial effect of stellate ganglion blocks on olfactory dysfunction, and recent news reports and a published case series have described a dramatic benefit in both olfactory function and other long COVID symptoms in patients receiving stellate ganglion blocks. Therefore, we propose a single cohort prospective study to generate pilot data on the efficacy and safety of sequential stellate ganglion blocks for the treatment of COVID-19-induced olfactory dysfunction and other long COVID symptoms.
Study Details
Timeline
Interventions
The stellate ganglion will be identified using ultrasound guidance, and after a test does of 1% lidocaine, 1% mepivacaine will be injected near the stellate ganglion.