Cerebrospinal Fluid Rhinorrhea Following a COVID-19 Nasopharyngeal Swab: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

ABSTRACT

Since its onset on December 2019, COVID-19 pandemic has been the main study and practical point in medicine. Clinical, biological, diagnostic, and therapeutic features related to SARS-CoV 2 have been studied under different perspectives. Among the most common diagnostic tools is the RT-PCR through Nasal Swab sampling, performed nearly 2 billion times in the world to detect infected persons. The widespread use of this technique is admitted not only for its acceptable sensibility and specificity, but also for its reputed safety. Little was written regarding the complications related to this procedure. However, the nasal swab testing may lead to iatrogenic damages. In this paper, we report the case of a young lady who presented a cerebrospinal fluid leak related to a traumatic skull base injury in the immediate follows of a nasopharyngeal swab for COVID-19.