• Agueda Diaz Anadon, Luis Lassaletta, Jose Maria Roda, and Javier Gavilán Bouzas.
• Servicio de Otorrinolaringología, Hospital Universitario La Paz, España. aguedadiazanadon@gmail.com
• Acta Otorrinolaringol Esp. 2009 Sep 1; 60 (5): 318-24.

IntroductionThe most frequent complication after vestibular schwannoma surgery is cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) fistula.Material And MethodsRetrospective study of 170 patients who had vestibular schwannoma (163) or other tumours in the cerebello pontine angle (CPA) (7). Resection was carried out using different approaches: retrosigmoid (66%), translabyrinthine (24%), middle cranial fossa (5%) and others (5%). We studied the day of onset, location and treatment of the CSF leaks, and the influence of demographic, radiological and clinical variables, including Body Mass Index.Results27 patients developed a CSF fistula (15.9%): 15 were incisional (8.8%), 8 patients developed CSF rhinorrhea (4.7%), 1 CSF otorrhea (0.6%) and 3 a combination of the above (1.8%). We controlled 11 CSF fistulae with bed rest and compressive dressings (6.5%), 7 required lumbar drainage (4.1%), 2 lumbar drainage and wound closure with local anaesthesia (1.2%) and 7 patients required returning to the operating room under general anaesthesia (4.1%). There was not a significant relationship between the apparition of CSF and tumour size, type of approach, age or body mass index (BMI).ConclusionsDespite the great development and new surgical techniques, CSF fistulae are still a frequent complication after VS surgery. There might be other aetiological factors such as intracranial pressure. There was no significant relationship between CSF fistula and BMI. Adequate management and early conservative measures led to reduced reintervention rates of less than 5% in all patients.

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