Transnasal endoscopic and combined intra–extranasal approach for the surgical treatment of frontal sinus cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea

The aim of this study was to summarize and analyze the outcomes of frontal sinus cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea (FS-CSFR) treated by transnasal endoscopic and combined intra–extranasal approach. Clinical data on 20 cases of FS-CSFR patients from 2005 to 2013, with emphasis on the postoperative complications, clinical outcomes, and key technology involved in the combined intra–extranasal procedure, were retrospectively reviewed. Among the 20 cases, 12 were treated by combined intra–extranasal procedure; the other eight cases were initially treated by trans-nasal endoscopic approach alone, and five of them (5/8, 62.5%) were successfully treated and three failed. The three failed cases subsequently underwent combined intra–extranasal approach. A total of 15 cases, who received combined procedure, experienced fast recovery, had mild complications, and had no significant facial scars, and no CSFR recurrence was observed. Combined intra–extranasal approach offers advantages in not only overcoming the difficulty of insufficient exposure of defects during transnasal endoscopic procedure but also improving the success rate of repair.