[Initial clinical experiences with beta 2-transferrin in oto- and rhinorrhea]

We developed tests to measure beta 2-transferrin, and then used this method to investigate the efficiency of beta 2-transferrin in the diagnosis of cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea and otorrhea. We also assessed whether the immunochemical method satisfied the five requirements, which are important in the modern investigation of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF): High rate of accuracy; Wide area of application; Rapid availability; High sensitivity; No risks to the patient. 14 patients known to be suffering from a CSF leakage were investigated with special attention to the above five points. Eight patients had a CSF otorrhea, five a rhinorrhea, and one patient had a post operative CSF leakage from a retroauricular wound. In temporal bone fractures with CSF leakage regular insertion of sterilized foam rubber sponges into the ear allows adequate samples to be collected. In CSF rhinorrhea with profuse leakage there is no difficulty in collecting enough fluid for analysis. If there is too little fluid or if the question of localization arises we insert sterile sponges, as for CSF otorrhea, into the right and the left of the nose as far as the nasopharynx. They are left in place for 6 hours to provide an adequate sample. The analysis of the samples of CSF otorrhea showed a protein content of 3-6 g/l whereas the samples of CSF rhinorrhea, especially from sponges, showed a content of up to 39 g/l.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)