Translabyrinthine repair for cerebrospinal fluid otorhinorrhea.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) otorhinorrhea may occur as a complication of surgery for removal of acoustic neurinomas. The CSF leak usually appears within the first 2 weeks after surgery, and the diagnosis is obvious. The fistulous site is frequently inaccessible and may be difficult to repair by reexploring the suboccipital craniectomy. Successful closure of the fistula is accomplished by obliterating the space between the posterior fossa dura and the eustachian tube orifice with homograft muscle, using a radical translabyrinthine approach.