Spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid otorrhea and pneumocephalus on the contralateral side of the previous cranial surgery

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks and pneumocephalus commonly occur due to head trauma or surgical procedures. Spontaneous CSF (sCSF) leaks, however, occur without any clear etiology and are relatively uncommon.

An 84-year-old woman presented with the right-sided otorrhea. The patient had a history of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement following a subarachnoid hemorrhage treated by clip ligation of a left-sided ruptured cerebral aneurysm 7 years before presentation, with shunt catheter ligation after evidence of intraventricular pneumocephalus 6 years before presentation. At admission, computed tomography (CT) imaging of the head showed enlargement of the lateral ventricles, a right mastoid fluid collection, and a defect of the superior wall of the right petrous bone. We performed a right temporal craniotomy for the repair of the CSF leak. Intraoperatively, it was noted that temporal lobe parenchyma herniated into the mastoid air cells through lacerated dura and a partially defective tegmen mastoideum. The leak point was successfully obliterated with a pericranial graft and reinforced by a collagen sheet and fibrin glue. There was no recurrence of otorrhea postoperatively.

This report presents a very unique case of a patient with a CSF leak and pneumocephalus occurring on the contralateral side of a previous cranial surgery. We accurately identified the defect site with CT imaging and repaired the CSF leak by temporal craniotomy. Awareness of the mechanisms by which sCSF leaks can be caused by aberrant arachnoid granulations is imperative for neurosurgeons.