Repair of lumbar dural tears with a suture patch: retrospective single-surgeon case series

Dural tears traditionally have been treated with repair and then flat bed rest of variable duration. We conducted a study to evaluate the outcome of treating dural tears with a suture patch and immediate mobilization. Fifty patients (28 male, 22 female) had a lumbar dural tear repaired with suture patch and immediate mobilization. Mean age was 58.9 years (range, 31-81 years). Medical records were reviewed to determine the rate of signs and symptoms: headache, photophobia, tinnitus, neck pain, incisional fluctuance, wound drainage, and return to operating room. No patients reported postoperative headache, photophobia, tinnitus, or neck pain. No patients developed wound fluctuance or drainage. One patient was treated medically for a superficial wound infection. No patients required return to the operating room. Dural repair with suture patch appears to be effective and allows early mobilization.