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Neck injection may restore smell in long COVID patients

NCT ID NCT05445921

Symptom relief Sponsor: Washington University School of Medicine Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 2 times

Summary

This pilot study tested whether a stellate ganglion block—a numbing injection near a nerve cluster in the neck—can help people who lost their sense of smell after COVID-19. Twenty adults with smell problems lasting at least a year received the injection. Researchers measured changes in smell function and overall improvement. The goal was to gather early safety and effectiveness data.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
mepivacaine (a numbing medicine injected near a nerve cluster in the neck)
What this could lead to
If it works, this could point toward a treatment for smell loss and other long COVID symptoms like fatigue and brain fog.
What could go wrong
This is a very small pilot study with only 20 people and no placebo group, so results may not be reliable or apply to everyone. The injection carries risks like bleeding, infection, or nerve damage.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Phase 1/2

Runs two stages together: safety and dose first, then whether the treatment works.

Participants

20 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Sep 2022

Finished

Dec 2022

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 70 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Adults age 18 to 70 2. Diagnosis of COVID at least 12 months prior to study enrollment with self-reported olfactory dysfunction 3. Objective olfactory dysfunction due to COVID-19 that has persisted despite viral recovery, as defined by the UPSIT (≤ 34 in women, ≤ 33 in men) 4. Ability to read, write, and understand English Exclusion Criteria: 1. History of smell loss prior to COVID-19 infection 2. History of conditions known to impact olfactory function: 1. Chronic rhinosinusitis 2. History of prior sinonasal or skull base surgery 3. Neurodegenerative disorders (Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia) 3. Currently using concomitant therapies specifically for the treatment of olfactory dysfunction 4. Inability to tolerate a needle injection into the neck 5. History of coexisting conditions that make SGB contraindicated: 1. Unilateral vocal cord paralysis 2. Severe COPD (FEV1 between 30-50% of predicted) 3. Recent myocardial infarction within the last year 4. Glaucoma 5. Cardiac conduction block of any degree 6. Currently taking blood thinners or antiplatelet agents 7. Allergy to local anesthetic 8. Inability to extend the neck for any reason (e.g., severe arthritis)

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

anosmia COVID-19 olfactory nerve disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Anosmia Hyposmia Olfactory disorder Parosmia

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Washington University School of Medicine/Barnes Jewish Hospital

    St Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.