Iatrogenic Cerebrospinal Fluid Rhinorrhea after Nasopharyngeal Swab Testing for COVID-19: A Case Report and Review of Literature

Nasopharyngeal swabs are performed to collect material for diagnosing diseases affecting the respiratory system, such as COVID‐19. The nasopharyngeal swabs have been used excessively since the COVID‐19 pandemic started in 2020. Although it is considered a safe procedure, few cases arise for patients who develop critical complications such as traumatic nasal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak. In this paper, we report a middle-aged woman who developed a right-sided anterior skull base injury and CSF leak, and we will review the 19 previously reported cases that had the same complication. In summary, 70% of those reported patients leaked from the ethmoidal roof, 25% from the sphenoid sinus, while one patient’s site of leak has not been specified. Five patients were managed conservatively, while the other 15 were managed with endoscopic repair.