Objective: To study the correlation between spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea and increased intracranial pressure. Methods: Clinical data of patients with spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea treated in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology of the Provincial Hospital of Shandong First Medical University from January 2019 to December 2023 and their epidemiology, clinical symptoms and signs, preoperative cerebrospinal fluid pressure, imaging data, leakage site, repair method and the presence or absebce of increased intracranial pressure were analysed. SPSS 23.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Results: Of the 57 patients with cerebrospinal fluid nasolacrimal leakage, 84.2%(48/57) were females and 15.8%(9/57) were males; 80.7%(46/57) were between 40 and 60 years old; and overweight and obese patients accounted for 75.4%(43/57). Of 57 patients, 35 patients received cranial MRI+magnetic resonance venography, and among them, 12(34.3%) patients were clinically with headache symptoms; the incidences of empty pterygoid and venous sinus stenosis were 40.0%(14/35) and 51.4%(18/35), respectively; and 33 patients underwent preoperative lumbar puncture examination, of whom 25(75.8%) patients had the increased cerebrospinal fluid pressure and 1 patient had idiopathic intracranial hypertension. All 57 patients underwent dural repair of the skull base, the postoperative follow-up period ranged from 3 to 60 months, and the success rate of surgery was 94.7%. The success rate was 100% in female patients and 33.3%(3/9) in male patients, including one with surgical failure receiving reoperation and two with postoperative recurrence in other areas of the skull base, with significant difference in the success rate of surgery between males and females (χ2=16.890, P<0.001). Conclusions: Most patients with spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea have the increased cerebrospinal fluid pressures, but very few fulfil the diagnosis of idiopathic intracranial hypertension. The success rate of surgical repair alone is high, but some recurrences still exist, especially in male patients.
Objective: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of nasal pedicle tissue flap based on nasal blood supply in the reconstruction of nasal skull base defects. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 138 clinical cases of skull base tumors and cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea treated at the Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery at Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from March 2017 to March 2023. A total of 79 males and 59 females were enrolled, aged from 8 to 82 years, with a median age of 51 years, including 108 patients (78.3%) with skull base tumors and 30 patients (21.7%) with cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea (and/or meningoencephalocele). During the surgery, 88 cases (63.8%) were repaired with nasal septal mucosal flaps pedicled with the posterior nasal septal artery, 14 cases (10.1%) with mucosal flaps pedicled with the anterior ethmoidal artery on the lateral wall of the nasal cavity, 6 cases (4.3%) with mucosal flaps pedicled with the posterior lateral nasal artery on the lateral wall and nasal floor, 12 cases (8.7%) with mucosal flaps pedicled with the anterior ethmoidal artery and posterior ethmoidal artery, and 18 cases (13.0%) with nasal septal mucosal extension flaps pedicled with the sphenopalatine artery or internal maxillary artery. Patients were followed up for 12 to 72 months postoperatively. Endoscopic examination or skull base enhanced MRI was performed to assess the growth and tumor recurrence in the skull base repair area. The t-test was used for statistical analysis. Results: Among 138 patients, primary repair was successful in 133 patients (96.4%), while 5 patients (3.6%) experienced postoperative cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea. These 5 patients all underwent nasal septal mucosal flap repair with the posterior nasal septal artery as the pedicle. Complications included 1 case of mucosal flap necrosis, 1 case of mucosal flap central perforation, and 3 cases of mucosal flap survival peripheral leakage, of which were all successfully treated with a second repair. Conclusion: The use of nasal pedicle mucosal flap based on nasal blood supply is a reliable, safe, and effective technique for repairing skull base defects.
Objective: To analyze the efficacy of endoscopic surgery for frontal sinus meningoencephalocele and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks, and to explore endoscopic surgical strategy. Methods: A total of 35 patients with frontal sinus meningoencephalocele and CSF leaks who underwent endoscopic transnasal surgery at Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University between May 2007 and December 2023 were enrolled in this retrospective case series, including 29 males and 6 females, with the age of (35.23±15.76) years. High-resolution sinus CT and magnetic resonance cisternography were undertaken before surgery. The primary outcome measure was the success rate of endoscopic surgical repair. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS 27 and GraphPad Prism 8 software. Results: Of the 35 cases, 21 (60.0%) were traumatic, and 14 (40.0%) were non-traumatic. The most common defect was in the posterior frontal sinus wall (24 cases, 68.6%), with a defect size of (10.4±4.8) mm2. Twenty-six cases (74.3%) underwent endoscopic transnasal Draf Ⅱa-Ⅲ frontal sinusotomy, and 9 cases (25.7%) underwent endoscopic transnasal Darf Ⅱb-Ⅲ frontal sinusotomy combined with frontal trephination. The average follow-up time was (84.72±57.42) months. The success rate of one-time endoscopic repair was 97.1% (34/35). One patient required a second procedure, resulting in an overall success rate of 100%. Thirty-three patients had a widely patent frontal sinus ostium postoperatively, while two experienced stenosis. Conclusions: Endoscopic surgery is effective for treating frontal meningoencephalocele and CSF leaks while preserving frontal sinus drainage. Combined frontal trephination is recommended for defects that are difficult to repair using the conventional transnasal approach.
Objective: To analyze the influencing factors of skull base reconstruction failure after endoscopic endonasal skull base surgery (EESBS). Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 228 EESBS cases at the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University from 2018 to 2023. The clinical features associated with skull base reconstruction and postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage were collected and analyzed. Lasso regression was initially used for exploratory analysis, and risk factors for reconstruction failure were subsequently evaluated using multifactorial logistic regression. Results: A total of 157 cases of EESBS were included, with an overall reconstruction failure rate of 11.5% (18/157). No patients who underwent second-stage reconstruction with a tipped mucosal flap or multilayered free mucosal and fascial repair experienced further postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage. Variables identified through Lasso regression included history of surgery, history of radiotherapy, and site of leakage. Multifactorial logistic analysis showed that history of radiotherapy (OR=5.96,P=0.021) and site of leakage in the posterior skull base (OR=8.70,P=0.003) were significant risk factors for failure of skull base reconstruction. Conclusion: In cases with a history of radiotherapy and/or posterior skull base lesions in the operative area, reconstruction strategies should be strengthened to improve the success rate of one-stage repair, in particular, when intraoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage occurs.