Purpose
To evaluate the role of non-contrast multidetector CT (MDCT) reliability in localizing CSF leaks and skull base defects in correlation to operative findings.
Materials and methods
Twenty patients clinically diagnosed to have CSF rhinorrhea; 8 spontaneous and 12 post-traumatic patients were evaluated using 64-rows MDCT with slice section 0.6 mm. CT is considered accurate if correctly determine the site and size of bony defect as matched with operative findings.
Results
MDCT accurately detected the site of presumed CSF leak in 19 out of 20 cases with sensitivity 95%. Cribriform plate defect is the most common site of defect in 40% of cases with 75% of cases categorized as Keros type II. The consensus image with fair agreement (K = 0.38) shows that coronal reformat has the highest diagnostic performance in 75% of cases while the least diagnostic value is encountered with the axial plane in 15% of cases …