Taste disturbance after stapes surgery: an evaluation of frequency, severity, duration, and quality-of-life.

Eighty-three (61.9%) study persons reported post-operative taste disturbance. Seven (5.2%) reported persisting disturbance at 1 year. Surgically more traumatized chorda tympani nerves correlated with more severe taste disturbance post-operatively than less traumatized. Taste disturbance at 1 year post-operatively correlate with a decrease of the physical function domain in the SF-36.