The diagnosis of cerebrospinal fluid leakage after microvascular decompression surgery and management via lumbar drain

Objective: In posterior fossa surgery such as microvascular decompression (MVD), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage is a crucial problem. In this study, we explored the accurate diagnosis and effective non-surgical management of postoperative CSF leakage.Methods: We reviewed 749 patients who underwent MVD surgery from August 2018 to April 2022. Although we significantly reduced the CSF leakage problem by using the triple-layer closing technique (TLCT), CSF leakage was still a problem in a few cases. We managed these patients with the same diagnostic flow and treatment regimen using a lumbar drain (LD).Results: Among the 749 patients in the cohort, 11 (1.4%) had CSF leakage, and each of those cases presented with rhinorrhea. Five patients (45.5%) had the symptom on the first day, two patients (18.2%) on the second day, one patient (9.1%) on the third day, and three patients (27.3%) on the fifth day after surgery. After conservative treatment including CSF drainage via LD for 5.4 days on average, none of the patients had recurrent symptoms suggesting CSF leakage; thus, there was no need for wound repair surgery.Conclusion: Despite diligent attempts to prevent CSF leakage in open microsurgery, leaks inevitably occur in some cases and are more frequent in posterior fossa surgery. Although we cannot fully prevent leakage, we should limit the complication to ensure that it does not progress into other severe problems, such as meningitis. A closing technique such as TLCT is useful, but the early diagnosis and management of CSF leakage with LD is also important.