Cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhoea: does fibrin glue change the surgical outcome?

ObjectiveCerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhoea takes place when there is a breakdown of the barriers separating the nasal cavity from the subarachnoid space. The aim of this study was to assess the surgical outcomes of endoscopic transnasal cerebrospinal fluid leak repair with and without fibrin glue.MethodThere were 43 patients with cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhoea who underwent surgery for cerebrospinal fluid leak repair between 2014 and 2018. Patients were divided into group A, where fibrin glue was used, and group B, where fibrin glue was not used.ResultsIt was found that 74.4 per cent of cases were due to spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leak. The most common site of a leak was the cribriform plate (65 per cent). There was a success rate of 96.1 per cent (25 of 26) in group A and 83 per cent (15 of 17) in group B. There was no statistically significant difference between the results of the two groups (chi-square test: p = 0.31).ConclusionThere was no statistically significant difference in the results of cerebrospinal fluid leak repair with and without fibrin glue.

Ecchordosis physaliphora: a cautionary tale

BackgroundEcchordosis physaliphora is a congenital, benign lesion originating from notochordal remnants along the craniospinal axis, most frequently located at the level of the clivus and sacrum. Sometimes ecchordosis physaliphora is difficult to recognise and treat, with a total of twenty-six cases described in the literature.MethodsThis study reports on three cases of previously undiagnosed ecchordosis physaliphora presenting with cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhoea and meningitis.ConclusionEndoscopic transclival or transsphenoid surgery including three-layer (fat, fascia and nasoseptal flap) reconstruction was used in all cases with complete resolution of the symptoms.

Spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhoea and its association with body mass index (BMI)

Objective: The purpose of this study is to review the correlation of spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhoea (CSFR) and Body Mass Index (BMI) and describe the demographics, the surgical techniques and outcomes. Materials and methods: We performed a retrospective review of clinical data of twenty patients diagnosed with spontaneous CSFR and treated at the Malaysian National University Medical Centre from 1997 to 2015. Result and Discussion: A total of 20 patients were selected in this research (19 females,1male). The mean age was 45.5 years with nineteen females and one male patient. The mean BMI was 33.1kg/m2.Majority of patients with spontaneous leaks are females in their forties. The bath plug technique, onlay of middle turbinate grafts, nasoseptal flaps and mucoperiosteal grafts techniques were used and three patients reported recurrences. Conclusion: Spontaneous CSFR is more common in women in their 40s with BMI>25. The most common sites of leaks are the cribriform plate followed by the sphenoid sinus. Spontaneous CSFR cases are strongly related with increased BMI. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.18(2) 2019 p.322-328