MANAGEMENT AND REPAIR OF DELAYED CEREBROSPINAL FLUID FISTULAE

Cerebrospinal fluid fistulae occur when defects in dura, pla-arachnold or skull permit the cerebrospinal fluid escape from the subarachnoid space via anterior naris, nasopharynx or external acoustic meastus, Which is most commonly manifested as rhinorrhea or otorrhea,complicated by serious recurrent meningitis for months or years.This paper reports 20 cases of rhinorrhea and one of otorrhea, persisting longer than 3 months. All the cases were repaired successfully and there was no recurrence arter being followed up for 1 to 20 years.We compared various diagnostic methods and suggested a simple operative procedure.

Surgical Repair and Detection of Cerebrospinal Fluid Rhinorrhea using Magnetic Resonance Cisternography and Skull Base Coronal Thin-section Computed Tomography Scan

INTRODUCTION Cerebrospinal fluid （CSF） rhinorrhea is a common condition managed by neurosurgeons. The accurate identification of the site of leak plays a key role in facilitating successful surgical repair. We reported two surgery-proven cases of CSF rhinorrhea examined by magnetic resonance （MR） cisternography （Siemens, Berlin, Germany） and skull base coronal thin-section computed tomography （CT） scan （Siemens, Berlin, Germany） before surgical treatment.

Prolactinoma coexisting with cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea and cavernous internal carotid aneurysm: Case report and literature review

Pituitary adenoma coexisting with cerebrospinal fluid(CSF) rhinorrhea and carotid aneurysm is extremely rare. CSF rhinorrhea may cause pneumocephalus and intracranial infection. Rupture of the aneurysm may cause fatal consequence. The authors report such a rare case to draw more attentions. A 55-year-old man presented with sexual dysfunction for 2 years. The serum prolactin was tested as 1,600 ng/ml(normal range, 1.39–24.2). Enhanced cranial MR showed an evident lesion at the sellar area, invading the right cavernous sinus. Prolactinoma was diagnosed. He took bromocriptine for one year and received gamma knife therapy thereafter. Four months after the treatment of gamma knife, he got CSF rhinorrhea and nasal bleeding. The endoscopic transnasalsphenoidal approach was performed to resect the tumor and repair the dura defect.The CSF rhinorrhea stopped after the surgery, however his nasal bleeding continued. The digital subtraction angiography(DSA) showed an aneurysm at the right cavernous internal carotid. The endovascular coil embolization was performed to treat the aneurysm. The patient recovered well. The coexistence of CSF rhinorrhea and pituitary adenoma is a high risk factor for the rupture of cavernous internal carotid aneurysm. When treating patients with pituitary adenoma and CSF rhinorrhea, doctors should exclude the aneurysm. When nasal bleeding occurs, the hemorrhage of internal carotid should be considered, and appropriate measures should be taken immediately.

Microsurgical treatment of cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea in sphenoidal sinus

Objective：To explore the clinical manifestation,diagnosis and surgical treatment of cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea in sphenoidal sinus.Methods： Nine cases of cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea in spenoidal sinus from 2007 to 2009 were retrospectivelyanalyzed consisting of their possible etiological factors,clinical manifestations, localization of the leakage site and treatment methods. Among them, there were 3 cases of traumatic rhinorrhea, 4 postoperative rhinorrhea and 2 spontaneous rhinorrhea. All 9 patients underwent 3-dimensional CT scan in sellar region including all para-nasal sinus. Leakage site was identified and repairing procedure was performed through trans-sphenoidal approach.Results：All cases were cured with the trans-sphenoidal microsurgical procedure. They were followed up for 9 months to 2 years. No recurrence, no infection and epilepsy complications were observed.Conclusion：For the cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea at sphenoidal sinus, it is critical to identify the leakage site accurately and the trans-sphenoidal approach is a microinvasive and effective way to repair the leakage, which is worthy to be advocated.

Post-traumatic cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea associated with craniofacial fibrous dysplasia:Case report and literature review

Objective: Fibrous dysplasia(FD) is an unusual developmental abnormality of the skeleton. When facial and cranial bones are involved in FD, it is termed craniofacial fibrous dysplasia(CFD). Although several reports have reported that CFD has a tendency for spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid(CSF) leakage, there have been no related English-language case reports. We present the first case of post-traumatic CSF rhinorrhea associated with CFD. Methods: A 30-year-old man presented with CSF rhinorrhea after a mild head trauma. Computed tomography cisternogram located a defect in the posterior wall of the right frontal sinus. Imaging examination also showed the evident expansion of multiple skull bones, spinal scoliosis, and multiple local enlargements of ribs.Without café-au-lait cutaneous spots and endocrine abnormalities, polyostotic FD was diagnosed instead of Mc Cune-Albright syndrome(MAS). The patient underwent craniotomy fistula repair surgery. The excised bone was contoured to be thinner to increase the cranial cavity. The patient recovered well and CSF leakage did not recur.But during a nineteen-month follow up, sight in the patient's left eye was decreased.MAS was suspected. Unfortunately the patient refused to take the proposed decompression surgery and laboratory tests of serum hormones. Conclusions: CFD, if the wall of the paranasal sinus is involved and the cranial cavity is decreased, may increase the risk of CSF rhinorrhea after head trauma.Expectant management is recommended in asymptomatic CFD patients even in the presence of optic nerve compression. As MAS may cause more problems, it should be precluded before polyostotic FD is diagnosed.