Spontaneous recovery of post-traumatic cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea following meningitis: A case report
Abstract
    The aim of the present report was to present the patient with an anterior cranial base fracture who developed post-traumatic cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea, which recovered after onset of meningitis complication. A 26-year-old male patient who had a traffic accident one week ago was sent to our clinic because of his rhinorrhea persisting for 4 days. On cranial computed tomography, fracture of the left frontal skull base and sinus walls, a fracture line on temporal bone, parenchymal bleeding in the vicinity of the frontal sinus, subarachnoidal bleeding and left temporal extradural hematoma were detected. Then he underwent sinus wall repair and extradural hematoma was drained through bifrontal craniotomy. However, rhinorrhea persisted which resulted a deterioration in consciousness and he entered into a deep somnolent state. When his symptoms of meningitis became apparent, rhinorrhea of the patient disappeared. The patient transferred in intensive care unit and re-connected to a lumbar drainage system. On cerebral magnetic resonance imaging, regression of contrast-enhanced lesions localized in the left anterotemporal and frontal and in the regions lateral to the right trigon and medial to the right thalamus and in the right posteroparietal regions was observed. Despite repair of the anterior cranial fracture and lumbar drainage, rhinorrhea may persist. Herein, development of meningitis caused disappearing of rhinorrhea symptoms without any need for surgical intervention.
Key words: Traumatic rhinorrhea, meningitis, smoking
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).