OBJECTIVE: To review surgical techniques used in the endoscopic transnasal repair of pediatric basal meningoencephaloceles and compare perioperative outcomes in children <2 and ≥2 years old.
METHODS: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL.
METHODS: Data sources were searched from inception to August 22, 2022, using search terms relevant to endoscopic transnasal meningoencephalocele repair in children. Reviews and Meta-analyses were excluded. Primary outcomes were the incidence of intraoperative and postoperative complications, including cerebrospinal fluid leak, recurrence, and reintervention. Quality assessments were performed using Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, ROBIN-I, and NIH.
RESULTS: Overall, 217 patients across 61 studies were identified. The median age at surgery was 4 years (0-18 years). Fifty percent were female; 31% were <2 years. Most defects were meningoencephaloceles (56%), located transethmoidal (80%), and of congenital origin (83%). Seventy-five percent of repairs were multilayered. Children ≥2 years underwent multilayer repairs more frequently than those <2 years (P = 0.004). Children <2 years more frequently experienced postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leaks (P = 0.02), meningoencephalocele recurrence (P < 0.0001), and surgical reintervention (P = 0.005). Following multilayer repair, children <2 years were more likely to experience recurrence (P = 0.0001) and reintervention (P = 0.006).
CONCLUSIONS: Younger children with basal meningoencephaloceles appear to be at greater risk of postoperative complications following endoscopic endonasal repair, although the quality of available evidence is weakened by incomplete reporting. In the absence of preoperative cerebrospinal fluid leak or meningitis, it may be preferable to delay surgery as access is more conducive to successful repair in older children.

BACKGROUND: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea results from abnormal communications between the subarachnoid and sinonasal spaces. Accurate preoperative diagnosis and localization are vital for positive clinical outcomes. However, the diagnosis and localization of CSF rhinorrhea remain suboptimal due to a lack of accurate understanding of test characteristics.
OBJECTIVE: This systematic review aims to assess the diagnostic accuracy of various tests and imaging modalities for diagnosing and localizing CSF rhinorrhea.
METHODS: A systematic review of the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.
RESULTS: Our search identified 4039 articles-53 cohort studies and 24 case series describing 1622 patients were included. The studies were heterogeneous and had a wide range of sensitivities and specificities. Many specificities were incalculable due to a lack of true negative and false positive results, thus precluding a meta-analysis. Median sensitivities and specificities were calculated for cohort studies of the following investigations: high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) 0.93/0.50 (sensitivity/specificity), magnetic resonance cisternography (MRC) 0.94/0.77, computed tomography cisternography (CTC) 0.95/1.00, radionuclide cisternography (RNC) 0.90/0.50, and contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance cisternography (CEMRC) 0.99/1.00, endoscopy 0.58/1.00, topical intranasal fluorescein (TIF) 1.00/incalculable, intrathecal fluorescein (ITF) 0.96/1.00. Case series were reviewed separately. Etiology and site-specific data were also analyzed.
CONCLUSIONS: MR cisternography is more accurate than high-resolution CT at diagnosing and localizing CSF rhinorrhea. CT cisternography, contrast-enhanced MR cisternography, and radionuclide cisternography have good diagnostic characteristics but are invasive. Intrathecal fluorescein shows promising data but has not been widely adopted for purely diagnostic use. Office endoscopy has limited data but does not sufficiently diagnose CSF rhinorrhea independently. These findings confirm with current guidelines and evidence.

UNASSIGNED: Report a series of cases in which patients have concomitant superior semicircular canal dehiscence (SSCD) and a dehiscent tegmen tympani with Dural contact to the malleus head (DCMH).
UNASSIGNED: An analysis of radiologic and audiologic data in 4 patients who presented with SSCD and DCMH at a tertiary care institution. A pertinent literature review was performed.
UNASSIGNED: Four patients (5 ears) had SSCD and DCMH. In 3 patients with unilateral DCMH, the mean maximum air-bone gap was 15 dB in the ear with DCMH compared to 50 dB in the ear without DCMH. Of the 5 ears with DCMH, the mean air conduction threshold at 250 Hz was 17 dB compared to 42 dB in the 3 ears without DCMH.
UNASSIGNED: We report the findings of DCMH in a series of 4 patients with bilateral SSCD. This limited series suggests that ears with SSCD and DCMH have less of an air-bone gap than would be expected, as 1 would expect an additive effect of DCMH and SSCD on the air-bone gap.

UNASSIGNED: Dopamine agonist-induced cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea is an uncommon treatment-related complication arising in 6.1% of prolactinoma patients treated with dopamine agonists. Locally invasive prolactinomas may create CSF fistulae through formation of dural and osseous skull base defects. Tumor shrinkage secondary to dopamine agonist therapy unmasks skull base defects, thus inducing CSF rhinorrhea. In these cases, repair of the leak may be achieved through collaborative surgical intervention by rhinologists and neurosurgeons. Multiple variables have been investigated as potential contributors to the risk of CSF rhinorrhea development in medically treated prolactinoma patients, with little consensus.
UNASSIGNED: The primary aim of our study was the characterization of risk factors for CSF rhinorrhea development following dopamine agonist treatment.
UNASSIGNED: A systematic review of the literature was conducted to identify cases of CSF rhinorrhea following dopamine agonist treatment of prolactinoma. The clinical history, radiographic findings and treatment outcomes are discussed.
UNASSIGNED: Fifty-four patients with dopamine agonist-induced CSF rhinorrhea were identified across 23 articles published from 1979 to 2019. Description of diagnostic imaging [computed tomography (CT)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)] was not provided for 18/54 subjects. For the 36 cases that described prolactinoma appearance on CT or MRI, invasion of the cavernous sinuses was reported in 13 (36.1%) and invasion of the sphenoid sinus was reported in 18 (50%).
UNASSIGNED: Based on our systematic review, we propose that CT findings of osseous erosion of the sella or the anterior skull base may predict dopamine agonist-induced CSF rhinorrhea. We recommend obtaining a thin-slice CT of the sinuses in cases with MRI evidence of sphenoid involvement.

Spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea is a rare occurrence. We present a case of spontaneous CSF rhinorrhea in a 57-year-old patient secondary to a sphenoid osseous defect involving the foramen rotundum and maxillary nerve with an associated arachnoid cyst and meningocele compressing the maxillary nerve. The location of the defect made correction amenable to an open skull-based approach. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a spontaneous meningocele herniating into the sphenoid osseous defect through the medial aspect of the foramen rotundum. Early detection of these defects, open or endoscopic approaches and definitive treatment by closing the defect can result in excellent outcomes.

The purpose of this review is to analyze the techniques used to reconstruct midline defects in the anterior skull base after transcranial and endoscopic endonasal resection of skull base tumors. We provide brief information on the technique for preparing various flaps, indications and contraindications, and advantages and disadvantages. We analyze the international experience in the use of vascularized and non-vascularized flaps as well as the existing algorithms for reconstruction of complex defects of the midline structures of the skull base. The literature data demonstrate the absence of a conventional tactics of reconstructive closure of the discussed defects. To resolve this issue, a meta-analysis in combination with an original prospective study is required.
Цель данного обзора - анализ используемых методик реконструкции срединных дефектов передних отделов основания черепа после транскраниального и эндоскопического эндоназального удаления опухолей основания черепа. Представлены краткие сведения о технике забора различных лоскутов, показаниях и противопоказаниях, преимуществах и недостатках. Проанализированы мировой опыт использования васкуляризированных и неваскуляризированных лоскутов, а также существующие алгоритмы пластики сложных дефектов срединных отделов основания черепа. Данные литературы демонстрируют отсутствие общепринятой тактики пластического закрытия обсуждаемых дефектов. Для решения этого вопроса требуется проведение метаанализа в комбинации с оригинальным проспективным исследованием.