• Stanley Hoang, Michael J Ortiz Torres, Arnaldo L Rivera, and N Scott Litofsky.
• Division of Neurological Surgery, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, Missouri, USA.
• World Neurosurg. 2018 Oct 1; 118: e10-e17.

BackgroundTemporal bone tegmen defects may be associated with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) otorrhea. A variety of techniques have been used for repair. We report our experience with skull base reconstruction for tegmen defects using either autologous or alloplastic grafts.MethodsA retrospective chart review was performed on patients with tegmen defects treated from 2007 to 2017 at the University Hospital in Columbia, Missouri, USA. Primary outcome measures were analyzed.ResultsTwenty-five patients were treated with a middle cranial fossa approach (median age 53, 88% females, median body mass index 34, median follow-up 9 months). Presenting symptoms included CSF leak (92%), hearing loss (44%), imbalance (12%), meningitis (12%), headache (4%), and tinnitus (4%). Most tegmen defects occurred spontaneously (84%) but cholesteatomas (4%), and trauma (12%) also were identified. Pre- and postoperative audiograms were available for 13 patients (52%); 7 (54%) showed objective improvement. Fourteen patients were repaired with autologous bone graft (56%), 7 with alloplastic grafts (28%), and 4 with temporalis fascia only (16%). All patients had resolution of CSF leak. Two patients (8%) suffered wound infections and 3 (12%) had facial and/or petrosal nerve complications. Use of alloplastic graft significantly shortened operative time (allopathic mean 180 minutes vs. autologous mean 208 minutes; P = 0.03).ConclusionsCSF otorrhea due to tegmen defects can be repaired via a middle fossa craniotomy using either an autologous or alloplastic graft with equivalent outcomes and efficacy, although alloplastic graft helps reduce operating time.Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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