Clinical management of dural defects: A review

Abstract

Dural defects are common in spinal and cranial neurosurgery. A series of complications, such as cerebrospinal fluid leakage, occur after rupture of the dura. Therefore, treatment strategies are necessary to reduce or avoid complications. This review comprehensively summarizes the common causes, risk factors, clinical complications, and repair methods of dural defects. The latest research progress on dural repair methods and materials is summarized, including direct sutures, grafts, biomaterials, non-biomaterial materials, and composites formed by different materials. The characteristics and efficacy of these dural substitutes are reviewed, and these materials and methods are systematically evaluated. Finally, the best methods for dural repair and the challenges and future prospects of new dural repair materials are discussed.

Keywords: Dural defect; Cerebrospinal fluid leak; Incidental durotomy; Causes of dural defect; Dural repair

Core Tip: Dural defects are common in spinal surgery and may cause a series of complications, so it is necessary to actively prevent and treat them. In this paper, we reviewed issues related to dural defects and discussed their clinical management.