Fibrin glue-coated collagen matrix is superior to fibrin glue-coated polyglycolic acid for preventing cerebral spinal fluid leakage after spinal durotomy.

After surgery for intradural lesions, dural reconstruction is essential for preventing cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage, which can cause serious complications. However, there is currently no established intraoperative procedure. While hydrophobic polyglycolic acid (PGA) sheets and fibrin glue are effective for dural reconstruction, the usefulness of hydrophilic artificial dura mater made of a porous collagen matrix has also been reported. This study aimed to compare the ability of a fibrin-coated porous collagen matrix and a fibrin-coated PGA sheet to prevent CSF leakage during spinal surgery. This study included 319 patients who underwent surgery for intradural lesions requiring dural reconstruction. Patients in the PGA sheet group (group P) and the porous collagen matrix group (group C) were compared. The median age was 60 years. A total of 319 patients were included, with 219 in Group P and 100 in Group C. CSF leakage occurred in 11 patients (5.0%) in Group P and 0 patients in Group C (P < 0.05). This is the first report showing the superiority of a porous collagen matrix sheet over a PGA sheet in preventing CSF leakage during spinal surgery. The porous collagen matrix is hydrophilic and may be more effective against CSF leakage than hydrophobic PGA sheets.