A Stratified Algorithm for Skull Base Reconstruction With Endoscopic Endonasal Approach

Endoscopic Sellar Defect Reconstruction with Avascular Modified Gasket Seal Technique for Sellar Tumors

Watertight repair of the skull base defect is necessary during endonasal skull base surgery to avoid postoperative CSF leak (poCSFl) and consequent intracranial complications. Various techniques have been described for reconstructing sphenoid-sellar defects with varying success rates. We have described the immediate and long-term outcomes following the reconstruction of sphenoid-sellar defects with our technique. A retrospective analysis of the patients following transsphenoidal sellar surgery underwent barrier restoring reconstruction by multi-layered (inlay-overlay) with autologous thigh fat, fascia lata, fibrin glue, knitted collagen, and absorbable gelatin sponge (modified gasket seal technique). A total of 44 patients were included in the study (n = 44). Reconstruction with modified gasket seal technique was done for all patients. 26 (59.1%) had intraoperative CSF leak (ioCSFl), and 9 (20.4%) patients had grade 3 Esposito-Kelly ioCSFl requiring adjunct short-term pressure reducing procedure (Lumbar drain) intraoperatively. 11/44 (25%) had poCSFl, 7/11 patients with poCSFl were managed conservatively, and 4/11 patients required rescue second surgery and ventriculoperitoneal shunting. 1 (2.3%) had severe meningitis and succumbed to it. Pneumocephalus was seen in 6 (13.6%). Multivariate analysis showed that revision surgery, GH-secreting tumors, and defects extending to the suprasellar region had higher chances of poCSFl (p < 0.001). All 43 alive patients had no CSF leak on long-term follow-up. The modified gasket seal technique is a viable technique for endoscopic sellar reconstruction for ioCSFl with an immediate success rate of 79.6% and 97.72% in the long term in preventing the postoperative CSF leak with a 13.6% rate of meningitis.

Endoscopic Reconstruction of the Anterior Skull Base Following Tumor Resection: Application of a Novel Bioabsorbable Plate

OBJECTIVE

Endoscopic repair of skull base defects is required following resection of intracranial pathology via the endoscopic endonasal approach (EEA). Many closure techniques have been described, but choosing between techniques remains controversial. We report outcomes of 560 EEA procedures of skull base reconstruction performed on 508 patients over a 15-year-period. Halfway through this period, we adopted the use of a rigid, bioabsorbable extrasellar plate for reconstruction, enabling a comparison between this technique and those used previously.

METHODS

All patients undergoing EEA from 2005 to 2019 at our institution were retrospectively reviewed. Demographic information, surgical pathology, tumor dimensions and radiographic features, reconstructive technique, and patient-related outcomes were collected and analyzed with univariate and multivariate statistical modeling.

RESULTS

Five-hundred sixty procedures were performed on 508 patients. The series complication rate was 8.2%. Overall, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak rate was 5.0% but varied significantly across closure techniques (p < 0.001). Critically, the CSF leak rate in the 272 cases prior to our 2013 adoption of the Resorb-X Plate (RXP) was 8.5%, whereas leak rate in the subsequent 288 cases was 1.7%. RXP was protective against CSF leak (p = 0.001), whereas gross total resection (GTR) correlated with increased leak rate (p = 0.001). Patient BMI was significantly associated with risk of leak (p = 0.047). Other variables did not impact leak risk.

CONCLUSION

Reconstructive technique, extent of resection, and patient BMI significantly contributed to CSF leak rate. GTR was associated with increased leak risk while the RXP was protective. The bioabsorbable RXP is an effective option for rigid skull base repair with comparatively few complications.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

3 Laryngoscope, 133:1092-1098, 2023.

Comparison of Graft Materials in Multilayer Reconstruction with Nasoseptal Flap for High-Flow CSF Leak during Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak is a crucial complication after endoscopic skull base surgery. Therefore, multilayer reconstruction with grafts is as essential as a reconstruction with pedicled flaps. Although widely used, the multilayer technique with autologous fascia lata has drawbacks, such as additional wound and donor site complications. We compared acellular dermal graft and banked homologous fascia lata graft (alternative grafts) with autologous fascia lata graft for high-flow CSF leak repair. We retrospectively enrolled 193 subjects who underwent endoscopic skull base reconstruction with multilayer fascial grafts and nasoseptal flap for high-flow CSF leaks from November 2014 to February 2020 at a single institution. Acellular dermal matrix (ADM), banked homologous fascia lata, and autologous fascia lata were used in 48 (24.9%), 102 (52.8%), and 43 (22.3%) patients, respectively. Postoperative CSF leaks occurred in 23 (11.9%) patients and meningitis in 8 (4.1%). There was no significant difference in postoperative CSF leak (p = 0.36) and meningitis (p = 0.17) across the graft groups. Additionally, we could not find out contributing risk factors for postoperative CSF leak and meningitis. ADM and banked homologous fascia lata are non-inferior to autologous fascia lata for endoscopic skull base reconstruction in water-tight reconstruction or safety without additional donor site morbidities.

Mussel-inspired bioactive 3D-printable poly(styrene-butadiene-styrene) and the in vitro assessment for its potential as cranioplasty implants

Challenges of cranial defect reconstruction after craniotomy arise from insufficient osteogenesis and biofilm infection, which requires novel biomaterials. Herein, we proposed a mussel-inspired bioactive poly(styrene-butadiene-styrene) (SBS) as a promising cranioplasty...

Cerebrospinal Fluid Leaks After Anterior Skull Base Trauma: A Systematic Review of the Literature

BACKGROUND

Anterior skull base (ASB) fractures are reported in 4% of head injuries and represent 21% of all skull fractures. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks may follow, severely exacerbating outcomes. We systematically reviewed the literature to analyze and compare the roles of endoscopic surgery, open surgery, and combined approaches in the management of CSF leak repair after posttraumatic ASB fractures.

METHODS

PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases were searched in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. Studies reporting clinical data of patients with CSF leaks after ASB fracture were reviewed, focusing on management strategies and posttreatment outcomes.

RESULTS

We included 29 articles comprising 888 patients. The average age at diagnosis was 34 years (range, 18-91 years), with a male predominance (54%) and a male/female ratio of 2.9:1 (647:241). Clinical data were available for 888 patients with CSF leaks after ASB fracture, reporting a median follow-up time of 33.5 months (standard deviation, ±29; range, 0.5-330.0 months). Open surgical repair was the most common approach (67.9%), followed by endoscopic surgical repair (32.1%). The endoscopy cohort showed lower rates of complications (0.7% vs. 11.1%) and fistula recurrence (2.8% vs. 5.3%) compared with open surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

ASB fractures are frequently treated as late surgery, 24 hours from injury or later, especially for endoscopic surgery. Overall, the endoscopic approach is preferred, mostly because of its safety and effectiveness, offering lower failure rates than does open surgery.

Heterogeneity in Outcome Reporting in Endoscopic Endonasal Skull Base Reconstruction: A Systematic Review

Objective  Presently, there are no standards for reporting outcomes of endoscopic endonasal skull base reconstruction (ESBR). This is problematic as a lack of consistent reporting makes synthesizing findings in systematic reviews and meta-analysis challenging. Thus, the aim of this study was to systematically review and describe the patterns of reporting outcomes in ESBR as a foundation for developing reporting guidelines. Study Design  Present study is a systematic review. Methods  Embase, PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched for all publications with ≥25 patients and a focus on ESBR. The reporting patterns of each study's variables and outcomes were assessed. Results  A total of 112 studies were included in the review. The most commonly reported demographic variables were the number of included patients ( n  = 112, 100%) and types of pathologies treated ( n  = 104, 92.9%). Meanwhile, the most routinely described preoperative variable was history of prior treatment ( n  = 48, 42.9%). Type of reconstruction was a commonly reported intraoperative variable ( n  = 110, 98.2%), though the rate of intraoperative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak was noted in only 76 studies (67.9%). With regard to postoperative outcomes, postoperative CSF leak rate was routinely provided ( n  = 101, 90.2%), but reporting of other surgical complications was more inconsistent. Ultimately, of the 43 variables and outcomes reviewed, a median of 12 (range: 4-22) was reported in each study. Conclusion  There is significant heterogeneity in the outcomes reported in studies relating to ESBR. This highlights the need for the development of standard reporting guidelines to minimize bias and improve interstudy comparability.

Skull base reconstruction: A question of flow? A critical analysis of 521 endoscopic endonasal surgeries

Introduction

Post-operative CSF leak still represents the main drawback of Endoscopic Endonasal Approach (EEA), and different reconstructive strategies have been proposed in order to decrease its rate.

Objective

To critically analyze the effectiveness of different adopted reconstruction strategies in patients that underwent EEA.

Materials and methods

Adult patients with skull base tumor surgically treated with EEA were retrospectively analyzed. Data recorded for each case concerned patient demographics, type of surgical approach, histotype, anatomical site of surgical approach, intra-operative CSF leak grade (no leak (INL), low flow (ILFL), high flow (IHFL)), reconstructive adopted strategy, Lumbar Drain positioning, post-operative CSF leak rate and intra/post-operative complications.

Results

A total number of 521 patients (January 2012-December 2019) was included. Intra-operative CSF leak grade showed to be associated with post-operative CSF leak rate. In particular, the risk to observe a post-operative CSF leak was higher when IHFL was encountered (25,5%; Exp(B) 16.25). In particular, vascularized multilayered reconstruction and fat use showed to be effective in lowering post-operative CSF leaks in IHFL (p 0.02). No differences were found considering INL and ILFL groups. Yearly post-operative CSF leak rate analysis showed a significative decreasing trend.

Conclusion

Intra-operative CSF leak grade strongly affected post-operative CSF leak rate. Multilayer reconstruction with fat and naso-septal flap could reduce the rate of CSF leak in high risk patients. Reconstructive strategies should be tailored according also to the type and the anatomical site of the approach.

Reconstruction strategies for intraoperative CSF leak in endoscopic endonasal skull base surgery: systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Endoscopic endonasal surgery (EES) is one of the preferred options for skull base pathologies. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak is a significant complication of EES and neurosurgeons have proposed various reconstructive strategies to decrease this morbidity. We describe and compare the efficacy of these strategies.

METHODS

We searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science for publications between 1990 and November 2019. We defined a reconstruction hierarchy of seven levels from inside to outside: fat graft, intracranial intradural layer (inlay), intracranial extradural layer (onlay), buttress, mucosal flap, nasal packing and lumbar drainage. A single-arm analysis was performed for the primary outcome of CSF leak rate.

RESULTS

Of 3641 records identified, 48 studies met the inclusion criteria. Pituitary tumors had lower postoperative CSF leak rate than other diseases (1.8% vs. 6.5%, RD = -4.7% [-7.1%, -2.1%]). In high CSF flow group, the post-operative leak rate was reduced by application of mucosal flap (4.3% vs. without mucosal flap at 12.8%, RD = -8.5% [-15.1%, -1.9%]). The use of inlay showed potential of decreasing the post-operative leak rate (5.0% vs. 7.2%, RD = -2.2% [-7.7%, 3.3%]). In low CSF flow group, tampon was better than balloon for nasal packing (1.0% vs. 10.5%, RD = -9.5% [-16.5%, -2.4%]).

CONCLUSIONS

Mucosal flap and inlay for high-flow intraoperative CSF leak and tampon (compared with balloon) for low-flow intraoperative CSF leak, improved the postoperative CSF leak rate. Further studies are required to establish more robust evidence.

Closure of Skull Base Defects after Endonasal Endoscopic Resection of Planum Sphenoidale and Tuberculum Sellae Meningiomas

Background

The expanded endoscopic endonasal transplanum transtuberculum approach allows tumor removal by minimally invasive procedures. A large dural and bone defect is created during the surgical procedure, increasing the risk of postoperative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage.

Objective

The aim of this study is to describe a surgical technique and complications observed in patients undergoing endonasal resection of planum sphenoidale and/or tuberculum sellae meningiomas.

Methods

A retrospective analysis was performed of patients with planum sphenoidale and/or tuberculum sellae meningiomas after expanded endoscopic endonasal resection between June 2013 and August 2018, in which autologous grafts, fascia lata inlay, and nasoseptal flap onlay were used for closure of skull base defects.

Results

Ten patients were included in the analysis. No cases of postoperative CSF leakages or meningitis were reported, whereas two patients evolved with postoperative infectious complications (fungal ball in right frontal sinus and brain abscess). The skull base defect created for resection measured, on average, 3.58 cm².

Conclusion

Our experience suggests that closure of skull base defects using combined fascia lata inlay and nasoseptal flap onlay is effective for preventing postoperative CSF leakage in resection of planum sphenoidale and/or tuberculum sellae meningiomas, and offers high reproducibility due to its low cost.

Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak Following Nasal Packing for Epistaxis

Anterior epistaxis is commonly treated with Merocel nasal packing insertion. A 63-year-old male patient showed a cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea and pneumocephalus immediately after insertion of a Merocel tampon used for spontaneous right anterior epistaxis. He later developed fever and headache. This clinical report is to highlight how the nasal merocel should be positioned by specialized personnel and to describe how to manage this type of complication.