Non-Watertight Intermittent Dural Closure in Neurological Surgery

뇌수술의 비방수성 경막 봉합

Objective : In neurosurgical practice, it has been generally accepted that when the dura is opened, it should be watertightly closed, and traditionally non-watertight closure has not been performed. We clinically tried non-watertight closure, analyzed the frequency of CSF leakage and evaluated the possible clinical application of non-watertight closure. Methods : After classifying our cases with supratentorial and infratentorial approach, we tried non-watertight and watertight closures and compared the results. We also analyzed the cases with or without dural graft. Results : In supratentorial approach, the rate of cerebrospinal fluid leakage noted in non-watertight closure was similar to that of watertight closure. In infratentorial approach, except microvascular decompression(MVD), the rate of cerebrospinal fluid leakage in non-watertight closure was higher than that of watertight closure. Dura graft application did not seemed to influence the cerebrospinal fluid leakage. Conclusion : Since the frequency of cerebrospinal fluid leakage was not higher in non-watertight closure than that of watertight closure, non-watertight closure can be applied in supratentorial approach. In infratentorial approach, non-watertight closure may be applied in surgery with relatively short dural incision, such as MVD. However, non-watertight closure doesn't seem to be appropriate in surgery that requires wide dural incision, such as skull base surgery.