Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jn8rn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T12:09:32.745Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhoea after nasal packing for epistaxis: case report

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 February 2012

O Edkins ,
C T Nyamarebvu  and
D Lubbe
O Edkins*
Affiliation:
Division of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Cape Town, Groote Schuur Hospital, South Africa
C T Nyamarebvu
Affiliation:
Division of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Cape Town, Groote Schuur Hospital, South Africa
D Lubbe
Affiliation:
Division of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Cape Town, Groote Schuur Hospital, South Africa
*
Address for correspondence: Dr O Edkins, Division of Otorhinolaryngology, H53 OMB, Groote Schuur Hospital, Observatory 7925, Cape Town, South Africa E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective:

We report a case of traumatic cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhoea following nasal packing with a Rapid Rhino inflatable balloon pack, as treatment for epistaxis.

Method:

Case report and review of the literature regarding this complication.

Results:

A thorough literature search was performed using PubMed. To our best knowledge, there have been no previous reports of cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhoea following nasal packing. In our case, cerebrospinal fluid leakage occurred due to fracture of the middle turbinate at its superior skull base insertion. The cerebrospinal fluid leak resolved spontaneously without the need for surgical intervention.

Conclusion:

This case report highlights not only the need for an appreciation of sinonasal anatomy and the potential risks associated with nasal packing, but also the need for adequate training in the use of commercially available nasal packs by medical practitioners attending patients with epistaxis.

Keywords

Cerebrospinal Fluid RhinorrhoeaNasal PackEpistaxisComplication
Type
Clinical Records
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 126 , Issue 4 , April 2012 , pp. 421 - 423
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

Presented as a poster at the Annual Congress of the South African Society of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, 24–27 October 2010, Drakensberg, South Africa

References

1Douglas, R, Wormald, PJ. Update on epistaxis. Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2007;15:180–3CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2Moumoulidis, I, Draper, MR, Patel, H, Jani, P, Price, T. A prospective randomised controlled trial comparing Merocel and Rapid Rhino nasal tampons in the treatment of epistaxis. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2006;263:719–22CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3Cavusoglu, T, Yazici, I, Demirtas, Y, Gunaydin, B, Yavuzer, R. A rare complication of nasotracheal intubation: accidental middle turbinectomy. J Craniofac Surg 2009;20:566–8CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
4Patiar, S, Ho, EC, Herdman, RC. Partial middle turbinectomy by nasotracheal intubation. Ear Nose Throat J 2006;85:380, 382–3CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5Welch, KC, Palmer, JN. Intraoperative emergencies during endoscopic sinus surgery: CSF leak and orbital hematoma. Otolaryngol Clin North Am 2008;41:581–596, ix–xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed