A Case of Post-Traumatic Cerebrospinal Fluid Rhinorrhea with Encephalocele

Abstract

Posttraumatic cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage may frequently develop after a skull base frac-ture. A patient with a 1-month history of intermittent watery rhinorrhea was referred to our de-partment from the Department of Neurosurgery. He had been treated for 8 months due to a skull base fracture after a motor vehicle accident. He had undergone cranial trephination due to brain abscess prior to this presentation. On radiologic examination, a large skull base defect with enc-ephalocele was observed. Using the nasal endoscopic approach, we identified a large protruding mass of soft brain tissue with pulsating CSF in the ethmoid roof. CSF lumbar drainage was per-formed in order to reduce the protruding mass by decreasing intracranial pressure. After CSF lum-bar drainage, the protruding brain tissue was returned to the cranial cavity, and the leak site was successfully repaired with septal cartilage and graft material.