Frontal Sinus Breach During Routine Frontal Craniotomy Significantly Increases Risk of Surgical Site Infection: 10-Year Retrospective Analysis.
BACKGROUND
Frontotemporal craniotomies are commonly performed for a variety of neurosurgical pathologies. Infections related to craniotomies cause significant morbidity. We hypothesized that the risk of cranial surgical site infections (SSIs) may be increased in patients whose frontal sinuses are breached during craniotomy.


OBJECTIVE
To compare the rate of cranial SSIs in patients undergoing frontotemporal craniotomies with and without frontal sinus breach (FSB).


METHODS
We performed a retrospective analysis of all patients undergoing frontotemporal craniotomies for the management of cerebral aneurysms from 2005 to 2014. This study included 862 patients undergoing 910 craniotomies. Primary outcome of interest was occurrence of a cranial SSI. Standard statistical methods were utilized to explore associations between a variety of variables including FSB, cranial SSI, and infections requiring reoperation.


RESULTS
Of the 910 craniotomies, 141 (15.5%) involved FSB. Of those involving FSB, 22 (15.6%) developed a cranial SSI, compared to only 56 of the 769 without FSB (7.3%; P = .001). Cranial SSI requiring reoperation was much more likely in patients with FSB compared to those without a breach (7.8% vs 1.6%; P < .001). In those presenting with cranial SSIs, epidural abscess formation was more common with FSB compared to no FSB (27.3% vs 5.4%; P = .006). In multivariate analysis, breach of the frontal sinus was significantly associated with cranial SSI (OR 2.16; 95% CI 1.24-3.78; P = .01) and reoperation (OR 4.20; 95% CI 1.66-10.65; P = .003).


CONCLUSIONS
Patients undergoing frontotemporal craniotomies are at significantly greater risk of serious cranial SSIs if the frontal sinus has been breached.
University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Joseph R
JR
Linzey
Department of Neurosurgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Thomas J
TJ
Wilson
Department of Neurosurgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Stephen E
SE
Sullivan
Department of Neurosurgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
B Gregory
BG
Thompson
Department of Neurosurgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Aditya S
AS
Pandey
D003399:Craniotomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005626:Frontal Sinus / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000453:epidemiology*
Craniotomy; Frontal sinus breach; Frontotemporal; Surgical site infection