Management of spontaneous temporal bone cerebrospinal fluid leak: A 30-year experience

The goal of this study was to describe the incidence of and our long-term results in the management of spontaneous temporal bone CSF leak and to determine if there is any association with an increase in body mass index (BMI).

This was an Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved retrospective review of 58 patients who underwent repair of spontaneous temporal bone CSF leaks by a single surgeon at a tertiary care academic medical center between 1988 and 2017. Patients with CSF leaks due to trauma, iatrogenic injury, or chronic infection were excluded. Surgical approaches included middle cranial fossa, transmastoid, or a combination of both. Cases were divided into three decades. Patient demographics, clinical features, audiologic results, imaging studies, operative findings, complications, and long-term results were reviewed with a specific emphasis on the potential correlation with BMI.

The average BMI was 32. There was a statistically significant increase in BMI between the two most recent decades (p = 0.044). The middle cranial fossa was the most commonly utilized approach. Multiple tegmen defects were often noted on imaging and intraoperatively.

There is an increase in the incidence of spontaneous CSF leaks possibly associated with an increase in BMI in the United States over the last 30 years.