EPIDURAL FIBRIN GLUE INJECTION STOPS PERSISTENT CEREBROSPINAL-FLUID LEAK DURING LONG-TERM INTRATHECAL CATHETERIZATION

The leakage of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) during I the initial phase of long-term intrathecal (IT) infusion of analgesics can be a bothersome complaint. A series of 98 cancer patients was treated with an IT cath eter in this hospital in one year; 8% showed persistent leakage of CSF via the catheter tract. In a previous series, 26% of the patients had persistent CSF leakage (1). Treatment of CSF leakage can be undertake n with an epidural blood patch; however, in our experience, this is no t always successful in cancer patients. Three patients in whom persist ent CSF leakage was succesfully treated with an epidural injection of fibrin glue (Tissucol(R), duo 500, Immuno AG, Vienna, Austria) are des cribed.