Evaluation of frequency of CSF leakage in patients with cranial and maxillofacial fractures in the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department in Al-Zahra Hospital

Introduction: It is possible for the CSF to leak during cranial and maxillofacial fractures. At present there is a little information about CSF leakage, use of antibiotics, lumbar drainage and its surgical indications. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of CSF leakage in cranial and maxillofacial fractures.Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional/analytical study, 1278 files of patients with maxillofacial fractures, admitted into the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery in Al-Zahra Hospital, were evaluated and the data were analyzed using descriptive tests.Results: In this study, of 1278 patients suffering head and maxillofacial fractures, 16 males and one female had CSF leakage; all these cases had skull base fracture, 53% had maxillary fractures, 23.5% had nasal fractures, 41.1% had orbital fractures, 58% had mandibular fractures, 23.5% had frontal fractures and 57.14% had more than one fracture. Of the patients with CSF leakage 58.8% had rhinorrhea and 41.2% otorrhea. Of all these cases, 8, 7 and 2 patients were cured spontaneously, surgically and by lumbar drainage, respectively.Conclusion: All the patients with skull base fractures exhibited CSF leakage and all had maxillofacial fractures. It is suggested that surgeons take into account the possibility of skull base fractures and CSF leakage during treatment of maxillofacial fractures. Key words: Cerebrospinal fluid, Cranial base fracture, Facial bone fracture