Cerebrospinal fluid leak after translabyrinthine acoustic neuroma surgery

Cerebrospinal fluid leakage is the most common complication of translabyrinthine acoustic neuroma surgery. This retrospective study reviews patients who had translabyrinthine acoustic neuroma surgery at the Gruppo Otologico, Piacenza, Italy, and ENT Department of Bergamo General Hospital, Bergamo, Italy, during the last 6 years. The incidence of postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage was 6.2%, and 75% of these patients underwent another surgery to control the cerebrospinal fluid leakage. A modification of translabyrinthine approach was used in patients with highly pneumatized temporal bones to prevent cerebrospinal fluid leakage in these high-risk patients.