A team of surgeons at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has successfully restored a sense of smell and taste in patients who lost it due to long Covid through pioneering surgery. The technique, called functional septorhinoplasty (fSRP), expands the nasal airway, increasing airflow into the olfactory region, which controls smell.
According to Dr. Peter Andrews, senior consultant surgeon, the study showed impressive results, with all 12 patients who underwent fSRP reporting improved sense of smell compared to a control group of 13 patients who continued with smell training. In contrast, the control group experienced a worsening sense of smell in 40% of cases.
The surgery, which increased nasal airway size by about 30%, enabled more odorants to reach the olfactory region, where sense of smell is located. This boosted airflow and “kickstarted” smell recovery in patients who had lost their sense of smell due to long Covid.
Patient Penelope Newman, 27, from south London, reported a significant improvement in her sense of taste and smell after undergoing the surgery. She described experiencing a return to normalcy in enjoying food and smells, allowing her to cook and eat garlic and onions again.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/mar/07/long-covid-patients-regain-sense-smell-taste-functional-septorhinoplasty-surgery