Effectiveness and Safety of Glue-based Dural Closure in Cranial Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study

J Craniofac Surg. 2025 Jan 3. doi: 10.1097/SCS.0000000000011069. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

Dural closure is a crucial step in cranial surgery, essential for preventing complications like cerebrospinal fluid leakage, wound infections, and meningitis. Traditional suturing techniques, however, pose challenges such as technical difficulty and the potential for tissue damage. This retrospective study aimed to assess the safety and effectiveness of a nonsuture dural closure method using medical glue for direct adhesion of a patch to the dura mater. It was conducted from September 2019 to September 2023, including 169 patients with supratentorial brain injuries who underwent nonsuture dural closure (glue group) and 209 patients who received suture dural closure (suture group). The study compared the operation time and material costs between the two groups, with patients followed for 3 months to monitor complications and adverse events. The results showed that the operation time for dural closure was significantly shorter in the glue group (8.4 ± 3.7 min) compared with the suture group (21.7 ± 4.1 min). Postoperative complications were significantly lower in the glue group. There were no significant differences in adverse events between the groups. These findings suggest that nonsuture dural closure with medical glue is a simple, efficient, and safe alternative to traditional suturing, effectively reducing postoperative complications.