A Case of Endonasal, Endoscopic Repair of Posttraumatic Delayed Pneumocephalus

Lee, Hak Chun; Park, Il Ho; Choi, Chang Jae; Lee, Heung Man

Case Report

Journal of Rhinology 2010;17(1):41-44.
Published online May 31, 2010.

A Case of Endonasal, Endoscopic Repair of Posttraumatic Delayed Pneumocephalus

Hak Chun Lee, Il Ho Park, Chang Jae Choi, Heung Man Lee

Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. lhman@korea.ac.kr

코내시경 수술로 치료한 외상후 지연성 기뇌 1예

이학천, 박일호, 최창재, 이흥만

고려대학교 의과대학 이비인후-두경부외과학교실

Abstract

Pneumocephalus is the presence of intracranial air, the most common cause of which is head trauma that allows contact between the intracranial cavity and the atmosphere. Pneumocephalus, commonly associated with increased intracranial pressure, causes rapid neurologic deterioration requiring emergent intervention. Recently, endoscopic sinus surgery techniques have been used in the diagnosis and repair of cerebrospinal fluid leaks. We present a case in which endoscopic techniques were used to treat pneumocephalus that occurred three years after head trauma. The procedure for and advantages of the endoscopic endonasal approach over the external approach are presented in this paper.

Key Words: Pneumocephalus;Nasal endoscope