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Abstract

Objectives: To assess the safety and effectiveness of the drainless closure technique for managing unintended durotomies. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted at Menoufia University Hospital on 77 adult patients who experienced unintended durotomy during elective lumbar spine surgery. The drainless closure technique involved repairing dural tears without postoperative drains. Postoperative care included head elevation and monitoring for CSF leaks, infections, and neurological deficits over a minimum follow-up of three months. Results: Patients had a mean age of 55.2 years (SD ± 10.3, range: 34–75), with males comprising 58.4%. Significant comorbidities were present in 51.9%, and 32.5% were obese. The most common diagnoses were lumbar canal stenosis (27.3%) and spondylolisthesis (28.6%), with fixation being the most frequent procedure (58.4%). Dural tears were primarily paramedian (52.7%), measuring 1–3 cm in 48.05% of cases, repaired with a mean of 6.5 sutures (SD ± 7.3). Operative time averaged 160.6 minutes (range: 60–250), and hospital stay averaged 1.5 days (range: 1–3). Importantly, no CSF leaks were observed postoperatively. Conclusion: The drainless closure technique is a safe and effective approach for managing unintended durotomies in lumbar spine surgery, with low complication rates, minimal reoperations, and no CSF leaks. Further research with larger samples and extended follow-up is warranted to confirm these findings.

Subject Area

Neurosurgery

Article Type

Original Study

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

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