Sternberg’s canal: a rare site of CSF leak—our experience and management of a series of cases at a tertiary care hospital in South India

Abstract

Abstract Background The lateral craniopharyngeal canal or Sternberg’s canal is located in the postero-lateral part of the sphenoid sinus. It is the weakest area of the skull base, originating due to defective fusion during embryological development in a small proportion of individuals. Hence, it can give rise to CSF leaks from that region. Due to the proximity of this region to the internal carotid artery, optic nerve, and cavernous sinus, it proves to be challenging to repair these defects. The exact location, role in the causation of CSF leaks, and clinical presentation with arachnoid herniation are also subject to much controversy. Results In our case series, we describe 7 patients with the rare clinical entity of CSF leak from the Sternberg’s canal, who had a mean age of 38.4 years, 4 of whom also had an arachnoid herniation through the canal. One patient already underwent prior endoscopic surgery for the CSF leak. We highlight a trans-nasal trans-sphenoid approach with multi-layer closure, i.e., fat plug, fascia, and a naso-septal flap with the use of an additional layer of muscle in one of the cases, following which all had good outcomes. Since the primary concern with this rare clinical scenario is correct identification and adequate exposure of the leak for repair, we additionally undertook a trans-pterygoid approach in 2 of our patients. Conclusions The key to the successful repair of the Sternberg’s canal leak lies in its accurate identification and exposure. In our series, we achieved good exposure by drilling the pterygoids and lateral sphenoid walls along with the use of angled endoscopes for visualization. Our case series highlights the linear relation of elevated BMI with spontaneous CSF leaks in the absence of benign intracranial hypertension and the reinforcement of repair with the use of a harvested naso-septal flap. Our multi-layered closure ensured good results and no recurrence of a leak in any of our patients.