Treatment of 163 midfacial fractures with traumatic cerebrospinal rhinorrhea

PURPOSE:Retrospective analysis of the diagnosis and simultaneous treatment of midfacial fractures with traumatic cerebrospinal rhinorrhea.METHODS: One hundred and sixty three cases with contusion and laceration of brain,intracranial hematoma,primary brain-stem injury presented cerebrospinal rhinorrhea after reposition and fixation of the fractures from January 2003 to May 2011.They were analyzed in the respect of age,rate of blindness,length of stay in hospital,clinical characteristics,diagnosis and operation methods.RESULTS: 88.96% of the cerebrospinal rhinorrhea cured after 1 week,10.43% cured after 2-3 weeks,and 1 patient died because of intracranial infection after 2 weeks,4 cases with injury of temporal branch of facial nerve,2 cases of numbness of scalp and paraesthesia with no syndrome after half a year,13 cases had temporal fossa.The occlusion and mouth opening of all patients recovered and their faces were symmetrical depression.CONCLUSIONS: Treatment of facial trauma and cerebrospinal rhinorrhea simultaneously were consistent with the principle that cerebrospinal rhinorrhea reparation should do after 1 week of conservative therapy.The same incision can be used during operation,thus shortening the length of stay,reducing cost and complications,and promoting the resolution of cerebrospinal rhinorrhea.