ArticleThe Annals of otology, rhinology, and laryngology2023
Meningitis Risk and Role of Prophylactic Antibiotics in Spontaneous Lateral Skull Base CSF Leaks.
Article in The Annals of otology, rhinology, and laryngology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 7 citations in OpenAlex.
- Surgical Outcomes Comparison of Spontaneous Middle Cranial Fossa Cerebrospinal Fluid Leaks: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery · 2025Pooled it
- Spontaneous Middle Cranial Fossa Cerebrospinal Fluid Leaks and Intracranial Hypertension: Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis.Laryngoscope investigative otolaryngology · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo review the literature and our institutional experience regarding the risk of meningitis in patients with spontaneous lateral skull base cerebrospinal fluid (sCSF) leaks awaiting surgical repair, and the roles of antibiotic prophylaxis and pneumococcal vaccination, if known.
methodsA retrospective chart review and systematic review of the literature was undertaken to identify the incidence of meningitis in patients with sCSF leaks awaiting surgical repair. Adults managed surgically for sCSF leaks at an academic tertiary care center over a 10-year period were included. Data was collected on receipt of prophylactic antibiotics and/or pneumococcal vaccines during the timeframe between diagnosis and surgical repair.
resultsInstitutional review identified 87 patients who underwent surgical repair of spontaneous leaks, with a 0% incidence of meningitis over a median duration of 2 months while awaiting surgery (mean 5.5 months, range 0.5-118 months). Eighty-eight percent of patients did not receive prophylactic antibiotics. No studies in the published literature demonstrated the impact of prophylactic antibiotics or pneumococcal vaccine on meningitis risk.
conclusionsThere appears to be a low risk of meningitis among patients with lateral skull base sCSF leaks awaiting surgery for short durations (≤2 months), even in the absence of prophylactic antibiotics. There is a substantial gap in the published literature assessing the risk of meningitis and roles of antibiotics and vaccination in this patient population, indicating the need for large-scale study to conclusively elucidate the nature of this risk.
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Registered trials
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