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Updated: May 10, 2026
Microvascular Decompression: Salient Surgical Principles and Technical Nuances
Published on: July 5, 2011
Spontaneous osteo-dural fistulae of petrous bone posterior wall
P Junet1, A Bertolo, S Schmerber
1Pôle tête et cou, clinique universitaire ORL, CHU de Grenoble, 1, avenue des Maquis-du-Grésivaudan, Grenoble cedex 09, France.
Objective:
To raise awareness of the possibility of spontaneous temporal bone cerebrospinal fistula in case of clear retrotympanic effusion.
Case Report:
A 63-year-old man with no particular history presented with unilateral spontaneous right retrotympanic clear effusion. CT found defects in the posterior part of the right temporal bone, in contact with arachnoid granulations, with no other visible abnormalities.
Discussion/Conclusion:
Unilateral clear retrotympanic effusion in an adult subject should, apart from serous otitis media, suggest possible cerebrospinal fistula. In the absence of otologic or traumatic history, arachnoid granulation is one possible etiology, inducing spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leakage when facing the temporal bone. Diagnosis is suggested by bone defects in the tegmen tympani or posterior wall of the temporal bone on CT, with the adjacent mastoid cavities filled with fluid. Pneumococcal vaccination and early surgical repair of the fistula should be performed to avoid neuromeningeal infection.
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