Endoscopic Repair of Spontaneous CSF Rhinorrhoea: Results from 21 Cases

Introduction Surgery to close the skull base defect is the treatment of choice in persistent spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhoea with endoscopic endonasal repair being the method of choice.  This study analysed the demographics of presentation, optimal diagnostic and localisation strategies and the effectiveness of transnasal endoscopic treatment strategies  with post-operative follow-up of CSF rhinorrhoea patients in a tertiary care institution   . Materials and Methods  A prospective longitudinal study was conducted on 21 CSF rhinorrhoea patients operated on between August 2014 and August 2018 and results documented. Results CSF rhinorrhoea was found most commonly in middle aged female patients in our study. HRCT PNS was capable of identifying a leak site in 66% of the cases. All patients were operated endoscopically with no major intra-operative or post-operative complications. Resolution of CSF leak occurred in 85% of cases. Conclusion CSF rhinorrhoea can be diagnosed and endoscopic repair can be effectively performed in our existing tertiary care set-ups with good results.