Development of a novel centrifugal extraction device to collect the olfactory cleft mucus.

BACKGROUND:Measuring olfactory cleft mucus biomarkers provides critical insights into the pathogenesis of the olfactory dysfunction. OBJECTIVES:This study aimed to develop a novel centrifugal extraction device to collect the olfactory cleft mucus. MATERIAL AND METHODS:The olfactory cleft mucus was collected from 18 patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and 10 healthy controls using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) sponges. Both novel centrifugal extraction devices and traditional devices which consisted of a falcon tube and a syringe shaft were utilized. Levels of Galectin-10 were assessed using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The olfaction was evaluated with Sniffin' Sticks. RESULTS:The average extraction efficiency of recovered volume for novel centrifugal extraction devices and traditional devices was 85.44 and 79.15%, respectively. Galectin-10 levels of the olfactory cleft mucus in patients with CRS were significantly higher than that in controls when extracted through novel devices (p < .001). Furthermore, levels of Galectin-10 in patients with CRS significantly correlated with TDI score (p = .020, r = -0.546). There was no significant difference between novel and traditional devices regarding Galectin-10 levels in CRS (p = .966). CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE:The novel centrifugal extraction device with PVA sponges proved to be a feasible method to collect the olfactory cleft mucus.