Repair of intractable cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea with mucosal flaps and recombinant human basic fibroblast growth factor: technical case report.

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: Repair of a cerebrospinal fluid leak is not always easy, especially when a large fistula, with concomitant infection and injured mucosa, has developed from repeated transsphenoidal operations. We repaired such a sellar floor defect with mucosal flaps via the endonasal endoscopic approach and finally obliterated the fistula by promoting granulation-like tissue formation with recombinant human basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 27-year-old woman with intractable cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea was referred to our department after repeated operations for a relapsing Rathke's cleft cyst. Endonasal endoscopic examination revealed a large bone defect on the sellar floor through which previously packed fat and fascia were exposed to the nasal cavity. INTERVENTION: Mucosal flaps were harvested endoscopically from the nasal septum and the superior and middle turbinates. These pedicled flaps were transposed to the sellar defect. The flaps survived but did not cover the whole area, resulting in gaps between the flaps through which cerebrospinal fluid still leaked. Recombinant bFGF was repeatedly applied endoscopically to the mucosal flaps. The flaps turned into granulation-like tissue, and complete mucosal covering was finally achieved. CONCLUSION: bFGF has a wide range of biological effects, including stimulation of fibroblast growth and promotion of angiogenesis. It accelerates wound healing and is used clinically to treat dermal ulcers. The method presented here to treat an intractable fistula with mucosal flap and recombinant bFGF may suggest a new clinical application of bFGF. This possibility should be examined in a large number of patients in the future.