Interventional management of traumatic epistaxis

Objective: To discuss the clinical application of transcatheter arterial embolization in the treatment of traumatic epistaxis. Methods: Transcatheter arterial embolization was performed in 15 patients with traumatic epistaxis, caused by injury or surgery, after they failed to respond to medication and nasal packing. Seldinger technique was adopted via the femoral access and the bleeding site was determined with carotid angiography, super-selective catheterization was then carried out to embolize the ruptured artery with gelfoam particles or polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) particles. The clinical data and the therapeutic results were analyzed. Results: Of 15 patients, the epistaxis was caused by injury in 9 and by surgery of nasal or paranasal sinus in 6. Gelfoam particle was used in 14 cases and PVA particle in one case. The procedure was accomplished in one manipulation in all patients. The nasal tampon was removed in 2-3 days after the treatment with no recurrence of bleeding. No serious complications occurred. Conclusions: Transcatheter arterial embolization is a safe and effective therapy for profuse epistaxis on which the conservative management exerts no effect, and the gelfoam particle is the embolization material of first choice. (authors)