Intracranial mucocele as a complication of endoscopic repair of cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea: case report.

Abstract

Endoscopic repair of an anterior cranial fossa cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) fistula has gained widespread acceptance. We report a case of mucocele development at the site of an endoscopic CSF leak repair. A 46-year-old woman underwent functional endoscopic sinus surgery for nasal obstructive symptoms. The surgery was complicated by an intraoperative CSF leak from the posterior cribriform plate/anterior sphenoid, which was repaired immediately using bone and mucosa grafts. Two years postoperatively, a 13-mm anterior cranial base mass was found incidentally. This mass increased to 20 mm over the next year. The anterior cranial base mass was excised via a right frontal craniotomy and confirmed histologically to be a mucocele. Endoscopic repair of an anterior cranial base CSF fistula with mucosal grafts may lead to formation of a mucocele.