Fístula nasal de líquido cefalorraquídeo post-traumática. Resultados de la implementación de un protocolo de trabajo / Post-traumatic cerebrospinal fluid nasal leak. Results of the implementation of a work protocol

Introducción: Los pacientes con fracturas de base de cráneo anterior post traumatismo encéfalo-craneano tienen alto riesgo de fístula de líquido céfalo-raquídeo por las fosas nasales. Es importante el manejo oportuno y apropiado, evitando así complicaciones; razón por la cual se desarrolló el "protocolo HP" para su tratamiento quirúrgico. Objetivo: Comunicar la utilidad del "protocolo HP" en el manejo de la fístula de líquido céfalo-raquídeo de la base de cráneo anterior. Materiales y métodos: Estudio transversal retrospectivo con pacientes ≥ 15 años con diagnóstico de fístula de líquido céfalo-raquídeo nasal post traumatismo encéfalo-craneano, desde 1/1/2016 hasta 31/8/2021 que ingresaron al hospital y requirieron cirugía de reparación, con 28 pacientes incluidos, el valor p ˂0,05 (estadísticamente significativo). Resultados: 96,4% hombres, mayoría adultos jóvenes con traumatismo encéfalo-craneano leve; 82,1% presentó fístula de líquido céfalo-raquídeo temprana. Todos requirieron reparación transcraneal frontal, en 67,9% fue bilateral. La reparación antes de los 7 días fue en el 39,3%, 7-21 días en 46,4% y después de 21 días en 14,3% de los casos. Uso de drenaje lumbar continuo: preoperatorio 10,7%, intraoperatorio 60,7%, postoperatorio 46,4%. En el 89,3% la ubicación de la fístula de líquido céfalo-raquídeo intra-quirúrgica fue congruente con la tomografía. Desde el 2020 se sistematizó el manejo de las fístula de líquido céfalo-raquídeo. La recurrencia fue de 10,7% antes del 2020 (posteriormente fue de 0%), asociándose con Glasgow bajo e inicio de fístula de líquido céfalo-raquídeo 7 días post traumatismo encéfalo-craneano (p˂0,05). Complicaciones encontradas: meningitis 28,6%, convulsión 25%, anosmia 14,3%, neumoencéfalo a tensión 7,1% y absceso 3,6%. Mortalidad por fístula de líquido céfalo-raquídeo: 3,6%. Curación 96,4%. Conclusiones: La aplicación del "Protocolo HP" tuvo resultados satisfactorios. La tasa de recurrencia postoperatoria de fístula de líquido céfalo-raquídeo nasal post traumatismo encéfalo-craneano fue 0%(AU)

Background: Patients with anterior skull base fractures after traumatic brain injury have a high risk of cerebrospinal fluid leak through the nostrils. Timely and appropriate management is important, avoiding complications. The "HP protocol" for surgical treatment was developed. Objectives: To communicate the utility of the "HP protocol" in the management of the anterior skull base cerebrospinal fluid leak. Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional study; patients ≥ 15 years old with a diagnosis of nasal cerebrospinal fluid leak after traumatic brain injury, who were admitted at the hospital from 1/1/2016 to 8/31/2021 and required surgery. Included 28 patients, p value ˂0.05 (statistically significant). Results: 96.4% men, mostly young adults with mild traumatic brain injury; 82.1% presented early cerebrospinal fluid leak. All required frontal transcranial repair, in 67.9% it was bilateral. Repair before 7 days was in 39.3%, 7-21 days in 46.4%, and after 21 days in 14.3%. Use of continuous lumbar drainage: preoperative 10.7%, intraoperative 60.7%, postoperative 46.4%. In 89.3%, the location of the intraoperative cerebrospinal fluid leak was consistent with the CT scan. Since 2020, the management of the cerebrospinal fluid leak was systematized. The recurrence was 10.7% before 2020; after it was 0% and associated with low Glasgow and onset of cerebrospinal fluid leak 7 days after traumatic brain injury (p<0.05). Complications: meningitis 28.6%, seizure 25%, anosmia 14.3%, high tension pneumocephalus 7.1% and abscess 3.6%. Cerebrospinal fluid leak mortality: 3.6%. Cure 96.4%. Conclusions: The application of the "HP Protocol" had satisfactory results. The post traumatic brain injury nasal cerebrospinal fluid leak recurrence rate was 0%

Quantitative determination of the optimal temporoparietal fascia flap necessary to repair skull-base defects.

BACKGROUND: The ability to reconstruct large cranial base defects has greatly improved with the development of pedicled vascularized flaps. The temporoparietal fascia flap (TPFF) is a viable alternative to the Hadad-Bassagasteguy nasoseptal flap for large ventral skull-base defects. This study aims to characterize the size of the TPFF necessary for optimal ventral skull-base reconstruction. METHODS: Eleven formaldehyde-fixed cadaveric heads were used to harvest TPFF of varying heights on each side (total = 22). TPFF was passed through the pterygomaxillary fissure (PMF) to the ventral skull base to assess its coverage. For a subgroup of 12 sides, the TPFF was trimmed to determine the minimum height necessary for coverage. RESULTS: The TPFF height was (mean ± standard deviation [SD]) 14.72 ± 1.02 cm (range, 12.5 to 16.5 cm) and width was 8.43 ± 1.05 cm (range, 6 to 10.5 cm). The distance from the TPFF pedicle through the PMF was 5.8 ± 0.5 cm (range, 5 to 6.5 cm). All TPFF flaps provided complete ipsilateral coverage of clival defects, and all but 1 covered the entire clivus. All TPFF flaps, when rotated anteriorly, provided coverage up to the cribriform plate. The minimum TPFF height necessary for complete coverage of cribriform defects and ventral defects up to the planum sphenoidale was 12 cm. TPFF height for specimens with and without complete ventral skull-base coverage was significantly different (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: The TPFF is a versatile alternative to the nasoseptal flap and a height of at least 12 cm can provide enough coverage for all ventral skull base defects.

Inverted papilloma is associated with greater radiographic inflammatory disease than other sinonasal malignancy.

BACKGROUND: The pathogenesis of inverted papilloma (IP) has not been fully elucidated. However, chronic paranasal sinus inflammation has been anecdotally observed in sites distant from tumor obstruction in IP patients, suggesting an association between inflammation and IP tumorigenesis. This study assesses the association between sinonasal inflammation found in IP and compares this to the level of inflammation observed in other sinonasal tumors. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed identifying patients with unilateral IP. Pertinent clinical data was obtained and comparative analysis of preoperative computed tomography (CT) imaging and histopathology was performed. A sample of unilateral, sinonasal, non-IP and non-squamous cell tumors was used as the control. The Lund-Mackay scoring system was used to assess radiologic sinonasal inflammation both ipsilateral and contralateral to the tumor. RESULTS: Seventy-one patients were included; 58.9% of patients with IP had evidence of contralateral sinusitis at the time of presentation. In the control group, 26.7% had evidence of contralateral inflammation. When comparing contralateral sinus inflammation between the 2 study groups, the IP patients had significantly higher Lund-Mackay scores than the control group (1.9 vs 0.26, p < 0.001). When comparing ipsilateral sinus inflammation, no significant difference was found in Lund-Mackay scores (5.44 vs 4.00, p < 0.184). CONCLUSION: In this study, unilateral IPs were associated with a higher level of contralateral sinonasal inflammation when compared to control. This suggests that IP may be associated with inflammation that is independent of obstruction by the tumor. Further studies are needed to better understand the temporal relationship between chronic inflammation and tumorigenesis.

Adenosine-induced transient hypotension for carotid artery injury during endoscopic skull-base surgery: case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: As the management of ventral skull-base pathology has transitioned from open to endonasal treatment, there has been an increased focus on the prevention and endoscopic endonasal management of internal carotid artery (ICA) and major vascular injury. The use of adenosine to induce transient hypotension or flow arrest has been previously described during intracranial aneurysm surgery; however, there have been no reports of the technique being used during endonasal skull-base surgery to achieve hemostasis following major vascular injury. METHODS: Case report (n = 1) and literature review. RESULTS: A 25-year-old female underwent attempted endoscopic endonasal resection of an advanced right-sided chondrosarcoma. During resection of the tumor, brisk arterial bleeding was encountered consistent with focal injury to the right cavernous ICA. Stable vascular hemostasis could not be achieved with tamponade. An intravenous bolus dose of adenosine was administered to induce a transient decrease in systemic blood pressure and facilitate placement of the muscle patch over the direct site of vascular injury. The patient subsequently underwent endovascular deconstruction of the right ICA. CONCLUSION: This is the first reported use of adenosine to induce transient hypotension for a major vascular injury sustained during endonasal skull-base surgery. Based on well-established safety data from neurosurgical application, adenosine has the potential to be used as a safe and effective adjunctive technique in similar endonasal circumstances and may represent an additional tool in the armamentarium of the skull-base surgeon. Surgeons should consider having adenosine available when a risk of ICA injury is anticipated.

Olfactory Groove Schwannoma ­ A Case Report and Literature Review

Olfactory groove schwannomas (OGSs) are rare benign tumors of the anterior skull base region. Considering the lack of Schwann cells in the optic and olfactory nerves, their origin remains enigmatic. Despite the precursor cell, total resection of the lesion is curative, as long as the histopathological features of the tumor are compatible with schwannoma. We report the case of a 32-year-old woman, addicted to crack, who was brought to the hospital presenting with cognitive dysfunction after being physically assaulted, whose neuroimaging revealed a large extra-axial mass in the subfrontal sagittal region. The presentation, immunohistochemical markers and histogenesis are discussed in the present study, along with a literature review.

Patient, disease, and treatment factors associated with overall survival in esthesioneuroblastoma.

BACKGROUND: Esthesioneuroblastomas (ENB) are uncommon and data regarding outcomes are often limited to single-institution series. The National Cancer Database (NCDB), which contains outcomes information from treatment centers across the United States, represents an opportunity to evaluate outcomes for rare diseases such as ENB across multiple institutions. METHODS: The NCDB was queried for location codes corresponding to the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses and the histology code for ENB. Multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate for contributing factors to overall survival. RESULTS: A total of 1225 patients with ENB met the inclusion criteria. The 5-year overall survival was 76.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 73.4-79.0%). Overall survival was associated with Kadish stage, grade, treatment sequence, margin status, Charlson/Deyo score, age, and gender (p < 0.05). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that, compared with surgery alone, surgery followed by radiation without chemotherapy had improved all-cause mortality (odds ratio [OR], 0.61; 95% CI, 0.40-0.95). Surgery with chemotherapy alone was associated with increased odds of all-cause mortality (OR, 4.86; 95% CI, 2.31-10.25). Multivariate subanalysis for Kadish stages A and B demonstrated no difference in survival between surgery and surgery followed by radiation, but surgery followed by chemoradiation had worse overall survival (OR, 3.03; 95% CI, 1.07-8.56). For Kadish stage C, surgery followed by radiation had improved overall survival compared with surgery alone (OR, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.24-0.81). CONCLUSION: The most common treatment for ENB is surgery followed by radiation, which is associated with the highest overall survival. The role of adjunctive chemotherapy needs to be re-evaluated in further studies.

The extended nasoseptal flap for coverage of large cranial base defects.

BACKGROUND: The nasoseptal flap (NSF) is commonly used to repair skull base defects via a transnasal endoscopic approach. The original description of the technique includes 2 parallel incisions that follow the sagittal plane of the septum. We describe a novel modification to the traditional NSF that allows coverage along the posterior wall of the frontal sinus. METHODS: In addition to the 2 sagittal incisions, a third incision is made between these coursing along the maxillary crest from the posterior edge to the midportion of the flap. This provides an extension that can be rotated further anteriorly. We report 4 adult patients with skull base defects too large and anterior to cover with a traditional NSF, on whom we successfully reconstructed with the extended flap. We also performed the technique on six cadaver heads (11 flaps) to provide average measurements of the extension. RESULTS: Our patients were successfully repaired with maintained flap survival. We were able to achieve an average of 1.9 cm, or 26.8%, of additional length on the cadaveric study. CONCLUSION: The relaxing incision described here creates a flap that allows for reconstruction of a larger range of skull base defects.

Diagnóstico diferencial en patología tumoral de la base de cráneo anterior / Differential diagnosis in tumor pathology of the anterior skull base

Objective. To describe a series of tumoral lesions of the anterior fossa that were treated at the Hospital de Clinicas during a determined lapse of time.Material and Methods. We evaluated the image archive and medical charts of all the patients operated on between January 2005 and May 2009 at the Neurosurgery Division of the Hospital de Clínicas. Results. From a total of 142 surgeries for expansive supratentorial lessions, 19 were for lessions of the anterior skull base (n=19) of which 7 were meningiomas (36%); four patients with gliomas (21%); one with GBM (5%); one with astrocitoma (5%); two with oligodendroglioma (10%); three patients presented tumors of the paranasal sinuses (15%); two had mucoceles (10%); one with squamous cell carcinoma (5%); three with orbital tumors; one with fibrous bone dysplasia (5%) and one with metastasis of a meduloblastoma of the posterior fossa (5%). Conclusion. The most frequent pathology found at this site is the meningioma, and secondly, gliomas. The third in frequency are the paranasal sinus tumors whose most malignant pathology is the squamous cell carcinoma. Our findings are statistically correspondent to other large series in literature.(AU)

Diagnóstico diferencial en patología tumoral de la base de cráneo anterior / Differential diagnosis in tumor pathology of the anterior skull base

Objective. To describe a series of tumoral lesions of the anterior fossa that were treated at the Hospital de Clinicas during a determined lapse of time.Material and Methods. We evaluated the image archive and medical charts of all the patients operated on between January 2005 and May 2009 at the Neurosurgery Division of the Hospital de Clínicas. Results. From a total of 142 surgeries for expansive supratentorial lessions, 19 were for lessions of the anterior skull base (n=19) of which 7 were meningiomas (36%); four patients with gliomas (21%); one with GBM (5%); one with astrocitoma (5%); two with oligodendroglioma (10%); three patients presented tumors of the paranasal sinuses (15%); two had mucoceles (10%); one with squamous cell carcinoma (5%); three with orbital tumors; one with fibrous bone dysplasia (5%) and one with metastasis of a meduloblastoma of the posterior fossa (5%). Conclusion. The most frequent pathology found at this site is the meningioma, and secondly, gliomas. The third in frequency are the paranasal sinus tumors whose most malignant pathology is the squamous cell carcinoma. Our findings are statistically correspondent to other large series in literature.