Background: Watertight closure of dura mater after intracranial surgery can avoid cerebrospinal fluid leakage and central nervous system infection and herniation. When primary closure is not possible, the pericranium is the preferential choice. When it is not available, a dural substitute becomes necessary. Bovine pericardium treated with polyethylene glycol and ethanol is herein tested as a dural substitute.
Methods: A pilot study comparing bovine pericardium with pericranium in supratentorial neurosurgery was performed.
Results: Twenty patients were initially allocated into a bovine pericardium group (group 1) or a pericranium group (group 2). Three patients from group 1 and 2 from group 2 had a loss of follow-up, being excluded. In the remaining 15 patients, epidemiological analysis demonstrated a male:female ratio of 3:4 and 4:4 for groups 1 and 2. Ages varied from 28 to 68 (Mean = 49.6) in group 1 and 40-80 (Mean = 61.2) in group 2, with a mean difference of 11.68 years (P = 0.09). Two cases of surgical site infection and 1 of hydrocephalus were observed. Although the calculated relative risk for complications was higher in group 1 (Relative Risk = 1.08), Fisher exact test demonstrated no statistically significant difference between groups (P = 1.00). Procedure mean time was 23 minutes and 11 seconds in group 1 versus 27 minutes and 55 seconds in group 2 (P = 0.47). Mean graft area was 13.17 and 6.23 cm2 in groups 1 and 2 (P = 0.02).
Conclusions: Bovine pericardium treated with polyethylene glycol and ethanol was comparable to pericranium as a dural substitute. More studies are encouraged to certify our findings.
Keywords: Dura mater; Dural graft; Dural substitutes; Duraplasty; Supratentorial neurosurgery.
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