Incidental durotomy: intraoperative aid in ten steps

Management of the intradural structures safely, closure of the dura according to the tear, and minimizing the epidural dead space. Incidental durotomy (ID). None. 1. Bone removal until whole dural tear is visible (if necessary); 2. intradural inspection; 3. reposition the fibers; 4. perform an inside patch (if ID > 5 mm); 5. dural closure; 6. outside patch; 7. Valsalva maneuver; 8. epidural pedicled muscle flap; 9. multilayer wound closure; 10. lumbar drainage of cerebrospinal fluid (if necessary). Bed rest up to 48 h; analgesics. The intraspinal part of 4020 surgeries performed with the aid of a microscope were evaluated. The overall prevalence of ID was 4.4%. The prevalence was lowest in virgin microdiscectomies (1.7%) and varied from 3.6% in decompression for spinal canal stenosis up to 14.5% in revision procedures. Of the overall 195 IDs, 127 occurred in primary surgeries and 68 in revision surgeries. In 107 primary surgeries, the individual surgical technique (InT) achieved a single stage closure of the ID in 96 procedures (89.7%). Among 20 virgin surgeries, the ten-step technique (10 ST) was successful in all cases (P = 0.21). Among 42 revision procedures following failed attempts to stop the CSF leakage, the InT achieved single-stage closure in 36 procedures (85.7%), whereas after introduction of the 10 ST, closure was successful in all 26 cases (P = 0.03).