Spontaneous Medial Cribriform CSF Leak: Endoscopic Surgical Repair with Free Mucosal Graft-Our Experience

Cribriform plate is the commonest site of spontaneous CSF leak, the fragility of the plate and juxtaposition of arachnoid's investment to the bone, where the olfactory nerve pierces the skull made this area, a vulnerable site for CSF leak. Transnasal endoscopic approach has gained popularity for CSF leak repair over the years. To describe the 5 year experience of spontaneous medial cribriform CSF leak repair with free mucosal graft in a tertiary medical centre. All patients who underwent transnasal endoscopic repair with free mucosal graft for spontaneous medial cribriform CSF leak in our institution between 2011 and 2016 were reviewed. Twelve patients were identified, all were women with a mean age of 44.5 years. The defect was localised by preoperative computed tomography scans with 1 mm cuts and MR cisternography. Via medial approach, the mucosa surrounding the entire defect was denuded and the defect was closed with free mucosal graft harvested either from the middle turbinate or from the nasal septum and middle turbinate was finally sutured with septum to stabilise the repair. The overall success rate was 100% with the first attempt with no recurrence or postoperative complications. Follow up ranged from 1 to 5 years. The endoscopic transnasal technique with free mucosal graft for the repair of spontaneous medial cribriform CSF rhinorrhoea is associated with a very high success rate and it should be considered for majority of cases.