![]() 1 in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. While a typical person wouldn't face any danger of a cerebrospinal fluid leak from a swab test, "prior surgical intervention, or pathology that distorts normal nasal anatomy, may increase the risk of adverse events associated with nasal testing," Walsh's group reported.įor that reason, alternative types of COVID-19 tests should be considered for patients who are known to have "skull base defects," the team said, or any history of surgeries in areas adjacent to the swab test site.Īccording to Kraus, the incident "underscores the necessity of adequate training of those performing the test and the need for vigilance after the test has been performed." These cases are exceedingly rare, the experts noted. In this patient's case, timely surgery to repair the gap in the skull stopped the leak. ![]() It was this vulnerability, coupled with the "trauma" of the nasal swab, that spurred the fluid leak, the doctors believe. Imaging tests revealed the previously undiagnosed gap in the woman's skull (the encephalocele). He's vice chair of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. Dennis Kraus, an ear, nose and throat specialist who wasn't involved in the new report. "This represents a truly rare complication of this common and critical diagnostic test," said Dr. Investigation at the hospital revealed a leakage of cerebrospinal fluid - a vital fluid that's normally sealed off from entering the nasal cavities. Soon after the test, she experienced mucus discharge from one side of her nose, headache and vomiting. In the case under discussion, a 40-year-old woman underwent a standard nasal swab test for COVID-19 prior to undergoing an elective hernia surgery. ![]() These tests are thought to produce more accurate results than samples taken further down the nasal tract, but their reach high up in the nasal passages makes them less than enjoyable. He's with the department of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, in Iowa City.Īs the researchers explained, millions of people worldwide are enduring the discomfort of nasal swab tests for SARS-CoV-2 during the pandemic. "The swab itself did not result in a violation of the bony skull base, but rather the invasive test caused trauma to the patient's preexisting encephalocele," reported a team led by Dr. The incident was tied to a tiny gap in the bones of the woman's skull - an encephalocele. 1, 2020 (HealthDay News) - Doctors stress that it's a very rare occurrence, but one woman's pre-surgery COVID-19 nasal swab test appears to have triggered a release of cerebrospinal fluid into her upper nasal cavities. In Rare Case, COVID-19 Test Caused Spinal Fluid Leak ![]()
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