Comparison of dural closure alternatives: an experimental study

Introduction: Dural closure preference has been a topic of debate in contemporary neurosurgery. This study aims to compare different closure techniques using an in vitro model.Methods: Human cadaveric dura mater was attached to a cylindrical metal glass filled with blue dyed saline. A 1 cm dural incision was made. Dural closure was performed using three different techniques. Each group had six samples: Group I - interrupted simple 4-0 polyglactin suture (S) only, Group II - S plus on lay collagen graft, Group III - S plus fibrin sealant. In Group NS, a 1 cm × 1 cm dural window was made. An onlay collagen graft was used with no suturing for this group to serve as an overtly weak reconstruction reference. Primary and secondary leak pressures were recorded (PLP and SLP, respectively).Results: All groups (I-III) had significantly higher PLP and SLP than Group NS. PLP was significantly higher in Group III as compared to groups I and II. Groups I and II had similar PLP values. SLP was similar in all three groups.Conclusion: In this study, the use of fibrin sealant has proven to be the best option in preventing dural leak. However, no technique was superior in the case of SLP.