The role of non-drainage in reoperation

In a study of 194 reoperation in which one third of the cases were managed without drainage of SRF, it was found that a number of failures occurred after non-drainage. Analysis of these failures shows that more than half could have been avoided if the choice of operation had been correct. It is felt that with careful attention to the criteria which was used to decide on the choice of surgical technique, the results obtained by the non-drainage method should be as good in the more complicated case as they have already been shown to be in the primary case. Because the drainage of SRF carries with it a high risk of surgical complications and these complications frequently result in the development of MPR, management of the reoperation should be carried out without drainage of SRF whenever possible.