To explore the early visual and olfactory stimulation on the recovery of olfactory function in patients after transsphenoidal resection for pituitary tumors.

Between January and December 2018, totally 78 pituitary tumors admitted in the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University were selected by convenient sampling and randomly divided into the observation group and control group according to odd or even admission numbers, with 39 cases in each group. Patients in the control group received routine perioperative care, while patients in the observation group received early visual and olfactory stimulations, including MR olfactory stimulation, indoor olfactory stimulation, and visual imagination stimulation. The olfactory function, nasal function and sleep effect were observed and compared between two groups of patients with pituitary tumors.

The olfactory function scores of the observation group at 1 week and 1 month after the operation were lower than that of the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05) ; the nasal function scores of the observation group at 1 week and 1 month after the operation were lower than that of the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05) ; the sleep time of the observation at 1 week and 1 month after the operation was higher than that of the control group, and the frequency of wakefulness was lower than that of the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05) .

Early visual and olfactory stimulation makes full use of sensory stimulation such as vision and smell to provide special care for patients undergoing transsphenoidal resection for pituitary tumors, which is conducive to the rapid recovery of the sense of smell of patients, reducing nasal symptoms and improving postoperative sleep.

Pituitary neoplasm; Olfaction; Nasal cavity; Sleep; Perioperative nursing; Visual and olfactory stimulation