title: How I do it: shoelace watertight dural closure in extended transsphenoidal surgery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Skull base reconstruction after extended transsphenoidal surgery is essential to prevent postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage.
  
  
  METHODS
  A novel and simple technique for skull base reconstruction termed "shoelace dural closure" was devised. The dura mater was closed with a fat graft using a continuous running suture with both ends of a double-armed suture.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The shoelace dural closure is an effective method for achieving watertight closure of the anterior skull base without the use of lumbar drains, fascia lata grafts, or nasoseptal flaps.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8550, Japan. mail@wajit.com.
authors.forename: Kazuhito
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takeuchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya Daini Red Cross Hospital, Aichi, Japan.
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nagatani
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8550, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshihiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wakabayashi
mesh_terms: D002559:Cerebrospinal Fluid Rhinorrhea / Q000517:prevention & control; D004388:Dura Mater / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D019291:Skull Base / Q000601:surgery*; D019292:Skull Base Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D013524:Surgical Flaps
keywords: CSF leakage; Craniopharyngioma; Extended transsphenoidal surgery; Planum sphenoidale; Skull base; Tuberculum sella