• David W Clark, Martin J Citardi, and Samer Fakhri.
• Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Texas Sinus Institute, Texas Skull Base Institute, University of Texas at Houston Medical School, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
• Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2010 Jun 1; 142 (6): 820-6.

ObjectiveTo describe the management of anterior skull base defects in patients who present with pneumocephalus after previous open neurosurgical intervention.Study DesignCase series with chart review.SettingTertiary referral center.Subjects And MethodsPatients repaired endoscopically for symptomatic pneumocephalus between April 1, 2005, and July 1, 2008. Volumetric calculation of the amount of intracranial air based on the preoperative CT scan was performed.ResultsSix patients met inclusion criteria. The etiology of skull base defects was accidental trauma in two patients and surgical trauma in the remaining four. Average time from the open intervention until endoscopic repair was 28 days. Intrathecal fluorescein was utilized in five cases, but visualized at the site of the defect in only one patient. All patients were treated with a similar endoscopic technique. A simple free mucosal graft was used in four patients; a mucosal graft was placed over a layered reconstruction consisting of acellular dermal matrix in two patients, with one patient receiving septal cartilage. Closure of defects was achieved in all six patients with complete resolution of pneumocephalus in five patients after an average of 17 days; one patient had trace amounts of pneumocephalus (< 2 cc) at 10 days. Mean follow-up was seven months.ConclusionEndoscopic techniques employed in this preliminary report demonstrate promising results in managing skull base defects associated with clinically significant pneumocephalus following failed prior open neurosurgical repair. The small population size in this study, however, precludes definitive conclusions regarding efficacy.Copyright 2010 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

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