EMPTY SELLA AND RHINORRHEA - REPORT OF 8 TREATED CASES

The association of an empty sella with rhinorrhea is an unusual finding. Of 29 cases of empty sella observed by the authors, 8 underwent surgery for rhinorrhea. None of the patients showed clinical evidence of increased intracranial pressure or hydrocephalus. Seven were cases of primary empty sella, the 8th was an acromegalic patient, who had received radiotherapy 4 yr before. Except for this patient, the others showed no clinical signs of a previous tumor. In the surgical treatment of these patients, the authors used both the transfrontal and transsphenoidal approaches. In spite of generally accepted good results following surgical closure of this type of fistula, 4 patients needed more than one operation. The fistula closed in only 3 of them; in the last patient rhinorrhea persisted after 3 operations.