Vol.98No.12contentsPRACTICA OTO-RHINO-LARYNGOLOGICA
Vol. 98 No. 12 December 2005
One Case of the Intractable Epistaxis Using
Selective Embolization
Masayuki Ishida, Motoyoshi Maruyama, Masatsugu Asai and Yukio Watanabe
(Toyama University)
Epistaxis is a common complaint facing the otolaryngologist. Some of these patients need hospitalization.
Here we report a case of intractable epistaxis of 46-year-old man. He was initially treated with anteroposterior packing. But he was often rebleeding during hospital admission so anemia was increasing. He was treated by superselective intra-arterial embolization of the sphenopalatine artery. A micro coil was delivered into the sphenopalatine artery by the catheter. He needed a blood transfusion before and after embolization. After the procedure, he did not rebleed and had no complications.
Therapeutic intra-arterial embolization is considered to be an effective therapy for intractable epistaxis in cases where the bleeding point is undetectable. Possible complications of intra-arterial embolization will be discussed.
Key words : intractable epistaxis, embolization, blood transfusion