CSF Rhinorrhea Treated With Homeopathy
Cerebrospinal fluid [CSF] leak from the meningeal layers after the neurosurgery is like a nightmare for any neurosurgeon. It not only poses a very high risk of infection reaching the vital area of brain, due to the breach in the brain protective coverings, the meninges, but also threatens the success of the procedure. Homeopathic treatment can provide a curative therapeutic option to such cases.
Many surgical cases have failed after the initial period of success due to the CSF leak. Usual therapeutic management from the surgical point of view is loading the patient with broad-spectrum antiobiotics to tackle the risk of CNS infection, but there is nothing they can offer to stop the leak. Mostly the leak becomes evident from the watery discharge from the nose, thus called as CSF rhinorrhea. Patient reports a watery secretion, which s/he can surely differentiate from a usual watering of the nose. There is a typical smell that most of the patients can report, making it certain to be a CSF leak. Collecting the discharge in a sterile container and its biochemical examination can confirm its presence.
Here, I present a case treated at my clinic. Mr Jain, is a 54 years old gentleman, who was admitted for trans-sphenoidal surgery for the pituitary microadenoma. The tumor had resulted into a state of giagantism due to the increased levels of growth hormone as a resultant. The adenoma involved right half of the pituitary and showed a poor post-contrast enhancement. The acromegaly also resulted in compressive neuropathy at the wrist joint, giving rise to the condition called carpal tunnel syndrome. Patient was posted for the surgery and the procedure went uneventful. The growth hormone levels done after the surgery showed marked reduction and the patient too reported a significant subjective improvement. The voice, that had become hoarse due to the acromegaly, returned to its usual tone within a fortnight. But during that time, patient reported CSF leak from alternate nostrils, especially on sitting straight. The biochemistry confirmed it to be a CSF, but fortunately there was no sign of infection. To reduce the intracranial pressure, expecting it to aid the wound healing, CSF was drained regularly by doing a lumbar puncture. It reduced the leak by about 30% but the frequency remained unaltered.
He was thus referred to homeopathy by the neurosurgeon, due to his previous experience of a cure in similar case. The patient was treated with a mother tincture combination of Hypericum and Ledum pal, given 10 drops – four times a day in a glass of water.
The patient reported 90% relief from the CSF rhinorrhea within 4 days. He also noted that the wrist joint numbness due to the carpal tunnel syndrome has also reduced markedly. The medicine was continued as it is and the rhinorrhea stopped completely within less than 10 days treatment.
