Endoscopic cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea repair: Is a lumbar drain necessary?

Objectives: To determine the necessity for lumbar drains during endoscopic cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea repair. Methods: Thirty-three patients underwent endoscopic repair of CSF rhinorrhea without a lumbar drain during a 7-year period. The size of the dural defect ranged from a microleak (less than 1 mm dural defect) to a 3-cm dural defect of the anterior skull base. Results: All of the procedures in patients with smaller defects (