Objective:

To analyze the impact of multiple intraoperative disinfections on the rate of postoperative intracranial infections in patients undergoing transnasal endoscopic skull base surgery (TESBS), highlighting its significance in improving surgical outcomes.

Key Findings:

• 5.72% of patients in the routine disinfection group developed postoperative intracranial infections, indicating a need for improved protocols.
• 2.20% of patients in the multiple disinfection group developed postoperative intracranial infections, suggesting potential benefits of the new method.
• No significant difference in infection rates between disinfection methods for patients without intraoperative CSF leaks, highlighting the complexity of infection prevention.

Interpretation:

The implementation of multiple intraoperative disinfections appears to reduce the rate of postoperative intracranial infections compared to routine disinfection, although the difference was not statistically significant in certain subgroups, underscoring the need for further research.

Limitations:

• Retrospective design may introduce bias; future studies should consider a prospective approach.
• Infection rates may vary based on other unmeasured confounding factors, suggesting the need for comprehensive data collection.

Conclusion:

Multiple intraoperative disinfections may contribute to lower rates of postoperative intracranial infections in TESBS, warranting further prospective studies to confirm these findings and improve clinical practices.