Welcome to our forum, @Hello_World! I’m glad you found us. I hadn’t heard of a Pledget Study prior to your question about it. We have a number of members who’ve had other types of testing for CSF leaks & some who had external evidence of a leak i.e. clear fluid running out of nose or down back of throat that tastes metallic. If you have either of those symptoms, it seems the pledget test isn’t necessary since it won’t clarify the source of the leak, only that you have a leak. If you click on the magnifying glass image in the upper right of this page & type in Pledget Study, other posts where it’s mentioned will come up for you to read. Here’s one thread to get you started:
Another important bit of info is that if the cause of the CSF leak isn’t taken care of first, the patch will most likely come off shortly after it’s placed. In cases of ES, our members with CSF leaks seem to all have internal jugular vein compression caused by the styloid sandwiching the IJV between itself & the transverse process of the C-1 vertebra. This causes intracranial hypertension (high blood pressure in the brain) because the deoxygenated blood can’t flow out as fast as the fresh, oxygenated blood flows in through the carotid arteries. If the IJV(s) aren’t decompressed prior to a CSF leak being patched, the IH won’t be remedied & therefore, the
Do you mind sharing the name of the doctor who will be doing your styloidectomy & possible CSF repair?