In Vivo Imaging of the Olfactory Epithelium Using Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy

Starting soon

Conditions studied: Endonasal Surgery, Endoscopic Sinus Surgery, Olfactory Dysfunction

In brief

This research is being done to better characterize the part of the nose that helps us smell. Currently, the only ways to study smell loss mostly rely on how people report it, rather than being able to see the underlying structures directly. In this study, we will use a special microscope (Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy (CLE)), originally developed for brain tissue, to look at the part of the nose that helps to detects smell. We hope to identify the tiny structures in that area and see how they might be different in people who have smell loss compared to those who do not.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07546617

Run by

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center

People needed

36

Starts

2026-07-01

Expected to finish

2027-07-31

Last updated by the study team

2026-04-23

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Adults aged ≥18 years
• Undergoing endoscopic sinus or endonasal skull base surgery while under - general anesthesia where the nasal turbinate is accessible
• Able to complete study questionnaires and psychophysical smell testing
• Able to provide informed consent.

You may not qualify if…

• Known allergy or hypersensitivity to fluorescein
• Pregnancy
• Medical instability precluding participation
• Severe anatomic obstruction preventing safe access to the olfactory cleft and nasal turbinate
• Any other safety concern identified by the investigator

Where it is running

• Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center — Lebanon, New Hampshire, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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