[Necessity of chorda tympani cutting from data collected at Department of Otolaryngology at the Collegium Medicum of the Jagiellonian University].

BACKGROUND Chorda tympani nerve is a branch of the facial nerve which enables perception of taste of 2/3 anterior part of tongue and it is responsible for unilateral parasymphatetic nerve supplying of the submandibular and sublinqual salivary glands. MATERIAL AND METHODS Prospective analysis of patients operated on middle ear in ENT Department Jagiellonian University of Krakow between 2004-2008 was performed. Nearly 650 operations were done in that period of time. Chorda tympani nerve was cut in 96 individuals. Most of them were treated for chronic otitis media. RESULTS When chorda tympani nerve was cut--the majority of cases did not complain of dysgeusia. Disturbance of taste was observed in ca. 2% of patients but it was transitory. The subject experienced sour/metallic taste. CONCLUSIONS Taste disturbance following unilateral injury to the chorda tympani nerve was usually the most intense in the first few weeks and improves with time.