Post-traumatic cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhoea: modern high-definition computed tomography is all that is required for the effective demonstration of the site of leakage.

Accurate definition of the site of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage is essential for the successful surgical management of CSF rhinorrhoea and associated recurrent meningitis. Previous attempts to image the sites of leakage, including conventional computed tomography (CT) and cisternography using either iodine-containing contrast media or radionuclides, have given disappointing results. A dedicated high-resolution computed tomographic (CT) technique combining fine slices in two planes with a bone algorithm for data manipulation is described and the results in 15 consecutive patients are recorded. This technique promises to render all other diagnostic methods obsolete.