Endonasal Endoscopic Approach in Management of Paediatric CSF Rhinorrhoea Cases

Though endoscopic repair has been the proven to be the gold standard for the repair of cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhoea in adult patients, the type of approach to be used in paediatric patients especially those below 5 years is still a challenge with no clear cut guidelines. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of using endonasal endoscopic approach for treating paediatric patients aged less than 5 years diagnosed with cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhoea. This was a retrospective analysis of five cases of paediatric CSF rhinorrhoea operated in a tertiary health care centre with an age of less than 5 years from October 2002 to September 2010. All the five cases treated by endoscopic approach have no further complaints of CSF leak or meningitis with a follow up period of a minimum period of 6 months. Two cases were further detected to have meningocele and meningoencephalocele which was detected preoperatively and treated by reduction and excision respectively. The good results obtained by endoscopic closure with lack of major complications and the decreased morbidity for the patient suggests that the endoscopic approach should be considered the first line of approach in pediatric population. But we would warrant a careful selection procedure and availability of adequate expertise for this approach to avoid complications.