Traumatic acute brain herniation through the ear in a child: concealed compound fracture

A seven-year-old girl presented to Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Oman, with a history of having been hit by a motor vehicle. After this, she had right-sided cerebrospinal fluid otorrhoea, and a week later, brain matter extruded through the right ear. A computed tomography scan of the brain demonstrated a tegmen fracture communicating with the external auditory canal. There was no hearing or facial nerve impairment and an otoscopic examination showed an intact tympanic membrane. She underwent a transcranial repair of the middle cranial fossa base, which revealed a wide dural and bony defect of the tegmen with herniation of the temporal lobe. Repair was made with an intradural patch of artificial dura. The rarity of this type of presentation of temporal bone fracture and its management are discussed

Relato de caso: otoliquorreia espontânea em adulto / Case study spontaneous otoliquorrhea in adult

Introdução: As fístulas liquóricas otológicas espontâneas (FLOEs) são entidades raras. Geralmente manifestam-se em crianças com meningite e perda sensorioneural profunda e em adultos com quadro de otite média com efusão. Objetivo: Descrever o quadro clínico, o diagnóstico e o tratamento cirúrgico de uma paciente com FLOE. Relato do Caso: Paciente do sexo feminino, 57 anos, com história de hipoacusia, plenitude aural e tinnitus à direita há 10 anos. Após colocação de tubo de ventilação à direita em outro serviço, iniciou otorreia líquida, transparente e constante em grande quantidade. O diagnóstico foi realizado através da cisternocintilografia, sugestiva de fístula liquórica; e da cisternotomografia que mostrou área de deiscência óssea em região de tegmen tympani à direita, velamento parcial de células mastóideas e de orelha média à direita, além concentração do meio de contraste no espaço sub-aracnoídeo à direita menor em relação ao lado esquerdo. Através de via transmastoídea foi localizada fístula liquórica e meningoencefalocele na região de tegmen tympani à direita. O fechamento da fístula foi realizado através do uso de retalho de músculo temporal, cola de fibrina e Surgicel®. Comentários Finais: Em adultos com história clínica sugestiva de otite média com efusão recorrente, a hipótese diagnóstica de fístula liquórica deve ser levantada. A investigação deve prosseguir com exames de imagem, destacando-se a cisternotomografia. O tratamento cirúrgico nesta paciente, através da técnica transmastoídea, se revelou eficaz a curto e a longo prazo...

Introduction: The spontaneous otological CSF leaks are rare entities. Usually they manifest themselves in children with meningitis and deep sensorineural hearing loss and in adults with middle otitis and effusion clinical picture. Objective: To describe the clinical picture, diagnosis and surgical treatment of a patient with CSF otological. Case Report: A female sex patient, 57 years old, with hearing loss, aural fullness and right ear tinnitus case history 10 years ago. After insertion of tympanostomy tubes on the right in another service, it began liquid, transparent and constant otorrhea in large quantities. The diagnosis was performed by suggestive cisternoscintigraphy of CSF leak, and by cisternography that showed that the area of bone dehiscence in the tegmen tympani region to the right, partial opacification of mastoid cells and middle ear to the right, besides concentration of contrast medium in sub-arachnoid space to the lower right compared to the left side. Through transmastoid via was located the CSF leak and meningoencephalocele in the region of the right tegmen tympani. The closure of the fistula was accomplished through the use of the temporal muscle flap, fibrin glue and Surgicel®. Final Comments: In adults with symptoms suggestive of recurrent otitis media with effusion, the diagnosis of CSF fistula should be raised. The research should proceed with imaging, highlighting the CTC. Surgical treatment in this patient using the transmastoid technique has proved effective in the short and long term...

Current imaging of cerebrospinal fluid leaks / Imágenes médicas actuales de pérdidas de fluido cerebroespinal

A CSF leak results from a defect in the dura and skull base. Due to the risk of potentially devastating central nervous system infection, it is an important entity. Timely diagnosis of CSF leaks is crucial. Laboratory testing of nasal or aural fluid drainage for the presence of the protein Beta(β)-2 transferrin plays a key role in establishing the presence of a CSF leak. Such assays are not always available, making imaging pivotal in the diagnosis of this entity. The development of minimally invasive endoscopic repair further underscores the importance of imaging as precise anatomic localization is important for repair. In this article, we review the literature and make suggestions for the appropriate radiological investigation ofpatients with suspected CSF leaks.

Las pérdidas de fluido cerebroespinal (FCE) son el resultado de un defecto en la dura y la base craneal. Debido a que tales pérdidas presentan el riesgo de infecciones capaces de devastar potencialmente el sistema nervioso central, las mismas constituyen una entidad importante. El diagnóstico a tiempo de pérdidas del FCE es crucial. Las pruebas de laboratorio realizadas al drenaje del fluido de la nariz y los oídos a fin de detectar la proteína Beta (β) 2 transferrina, desempeñan un papel clave a la hora de determinar la presencia de pérdida de FCE. Estos ensayos no se hallan siempre a disposición, con lo cual la imagen médica se hace fundamental para el diagnóstico de esta entidad. El desarrollo de reparaciones endoscópicas mínimamente invasivas subraya aún más la importancia de la imagen médica, por cuanto se requiere una localización anatómica precisa para realizar la reparación. En el presente artículo, se revisa la literatura y se hacen sugerencias a fin de lograr una investigación radiológica adecuada de los pacientes con sospecha de pérdida de FCE.

Evaluation of MR cisternography in diagnosis of cerebrospinal fluid fistula.

PURPOSE: To study the clinical usefulness and sensitivity of MR cisternography as noninvasive study in the diagnosis of CSF fistula in patients with clinical diagnosis CSF rhinorrhea or otorrhea. METHOD: Thirty-five patients with clinically diagnosed CSF leakage were examined for site of dural tear with MR cisternography with additional plain high-resolution CT in some cases from Jan. 1999 to Dec.2002. The MR imaging technique was performed as a heavily T2 weighted fast spin echo study with fat suppression in axial, coronal and sagittal projections. Criteria for positive results were demonstrable fistular tract connecting subarachnoid space to paranasal sinus/petrous bone, and/or dural discontinuity, and/or bone defect with pneumocephalus, and/or presence of brain herniation. Eighteen of the patients subsequently had exploratory surgery for fistula. Sensitivity analysis of the surgical results was compared with the findings at MR cisternography. RESULT: MR cisternography showed significant correlation with surgical findings with sensitivity of 89%. Additional high resolution CT were complete agreement with site of fistular tract. The pathogenesis of CSF leakage was related to trauma (86%). The commonly found dural/bony defect and location of connecting fislular tract were cribriform plate and ethmoid sinus of 58%, 55% respectively. CONCLUSION: In the presence of clinically diagnosed CSF leakage, the combination of MR cisternography and plain high-resolution CT are highly accurate in locating the site and extent of CSF fistula and should be considered a viable noninvasive alternative to CT cisternography and Tc-99m-DTPA cisternography.

Acinetobacter meningitis following head trauma.

A case of acinetobacter meningitis following head injury in a patient who developed cerebrospinal fluid otorrhea, and did not have any neurosurgical procedure, is presented. Previously reported cases are cited, with a review of the literature. Pefloxacin monotherapy is associated with a poor clinical response.

Cerebrospinal fluid masquarading as secretory otitis media

O autor apresenta três casos de fluido cérebro-espinhal, na cavidade tímpano-mastóidea, simulando otite média secretora