AUTOLOGOUS FIBRIN CLUE IN THE PREVENTION OF CEREBROSPINAL-FLUID LEAK FOLLOWING ACOUSTIC NEUROMA SURGERY

Postoperative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak is a serious complication of acoustic neuroma surgery. The authors retrospectively reviewed the charts of 492 patients who underwent acoustic neuroma surgery to dete rmine the efficacy of fibrin glue in preventing ng postoperative CSF l eak. Thirteen of 92 patients (14%) undergoing retrosigmoid/transmeatal surgery experienced CSF leak when fibrin glue was used; 29 of 199 pat ients (15%) when it was not used. Nineteen of 85 patients (22%) experi enced CSF leak when fibrin glue was used following translabyrinthine s urgery; 23 of 116 patients (20%) when it was not used. No decrease was noted in the incidence of CSF leak following acoustic neuroma surgery with the use of autologous fibrin glue.