Massive epistaxis due to pseudoaneurysm of the sphenopalatine artery: a rare post-operative complication of orthognathic surgery

Management of pseudoaneurysms of the internal maxillary artery derived from orthognathic surgery based on one case

PURPOSE

The purpose of this article is to highlight the risk of pseudoaneurysms formation after orthognathic surgery, their clinical features and management.

METHODS

A case report of a 24-year-old man who suffered a pseudoaneurysm of the internal maxillary artery after sagittal osteotomy during orthognathic is reported. After three bleeding episodes, a pseudoaneurysm was diagnosed with a computed tomography angiogram (CTA) and treated with an embolization of the internal maxillary artery with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) successfully.

RESULTS

Pseudoaneurysms derived from the external carotid artery are an uncommon complication of orthognathic surgery, especially related to sagittal osteotomy instead of LeFort I osteotomy.

CONCLUSION

Pseudoaneurysms derived from external carotid artery branches must be suspected when patients show multiple episodes of bleeding (epistaxis or through the surgical approach) within the first two weeks after orthognathic surgery. If so, vascular CT or angiography should be performed to rule out the presence of vascular injuries. In case a pseudoaneurysm is identified, vascular embolization with N-butyl-cyanoacrylate seems to be the best treatment if available. If this treatment is not available or bleeding cannot be controlled, surgical ligature of the injured vessel is a valid treatment.

Postoperative hemorrhage after Le Fort I osteotomy hemostasis with angiographic embolization: report of two cases

This study reported two cases of acute life-threatening hemorrhage after Le Fort I osteotomy. In both cases, computed tomography and angiography revealed damage to the descending palatine artery, which was successfully treated by angiographic embolization. Although massive hemorrhage after Le Fort I osteotomy is rare, acute hemorrhage from the postoperative area may occur. Angiographic embolization is useful in cases of such hemorrhage from the posterior nasal cavity where endoscopic hemostasis is not possible.

Complications and Associated Risk Factors for Bimaxillary Osteotomies: A 15-Year Single-center Retrospective Study

AIM

The aim of this study was to retrospectively investigate the risk factors and their association on bimaxillary osteotomies to be able to improve patient selection and bimaxillary osteotomy planning.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Patients treated with a bimaxillary osteotomy were included in the study. The complications were collected retrospectively from the patient data records. The effects of certain predictor variables on complication rates were also studied.

RESULTS

Sixty-one patients (48.0%) suffered from peri- or postoperative complications, or both. Twenty-five various perioperative complications were reported on 25 patients (19.6%) and 63 postoperative complications on 46 patients (36.2%). Ten patients (7.8%) suffered from both perioperative and postoperative complications. The effect of various predictor variables (sex, age, general health, type of malocclusion, surgery planning, use of bone grafts, and type of maxillary or mandibular movement) on complications was investigated, but we could not find any single factor to affect significantly on complication rate.

CONCLUSION

Both perioperative and postoperative complications are common in bimaxillary surgery, which must be noted in patient preoperative information. However, life-threatening complications are rare. Patient profile, bone grafting, type of osteosynthesis, or segmentation of the maxilla do not seem to affect the complication risk.

Pseudoaneurysms and Orthognathic Surgery: A Systematic Review and a Proposed Algorithm of Treatment

This study aimed to gather existing evidence regarding the incidence, clinical presentation, and management of pseudoaneurysms (PA) after orthognathic surgery, identify the common blood vessels involved in PA, and propose a treatment algorithm based on current evidence. The protocol for this study was developed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocols and was registered at the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews under the registration number CRD42020205479. Although these are rare, oral and maxillofacial surgeons should consider PA as a possible diagnosis, specifically in the maxillary artery of patients with epistaxis, severe facial edema, and swelling following LeFort I osteotomy.

Epistaxis After Orthognathic Surgery: Literature Review and Three Case Studies

Study Design

This is a literature review with 3 case studies.

Objective

Intraoperative and postoperative bleeding are the most common complications of orthognathic surgery and have the potential to become life-threatening. The rarity of severe postoperative epistaxis has resulted in limited characterization of these cases in the literature. The purpose of this study is to 1) differentiate various presentations of epistaxis following orthognathic surgery in the literature, 2) identify management approaches, and 3) to synthesize a treatment algorithm to guide future management of postoperative epistaxis.

Methods

A literature search of PubMed was conducted and 28 cases from 17 studies were assessed.

Results

Bleeding within the first week may indicate isolated epistaxis, often resolved with local tamponade. Half of cases were attributed to pseudoaneurysm rupture (n = 14), with epistaxis onset ranging from postoperative day 6 to week 9. Angiography was used in most cases (n = 17), often as the primary imaging modality (n = 11). Nasal endoscopy is a less invasive and effective alternative to angiography with embolization. Proximal vessel ligation was used in 3 cases but is not preferred because collaterals may reconstitute flow through the defect and cause rebleeding. Repeat maxillary down-fracture with surgical exploration was described in 4 cases.

Conclusions

As outlined in our management algorithm, nasal packing and tamponade should be followed by either local electrocautery or vascular imaging. Angiography with embolization is the preferred approach to diagnosis and management, whereas surgical intervention is reserved for cases of embolization failure or unavailability.

"Signs and Symptoms Tell All"-Pseudoaneurysm as a Cause of Postoperative Bleeding after Orthognathic Surgery-Report of a Case and a Systematic Review of Literature

PURPOSE

Pseudoaneurysms are one of the rare complications that can be encountered after the orthognathic surgery. We are presenting a new case of pseudoaneurysm of bilateral sphenopalatine artery after Bijaw Surgery in a young male and a systematic review of all the cases in the literature emphasizing on signs and symptoms, epistaxis or bleeding episodes and treatment outcomes.

METHODS

A systematic research strategy was planned according to the PRISMA guidelines, and articles were taken from 1986 to September, 2019. A total of 899 articles were selected for screening, out of which only 26 articles met our inclusion and exclusion criteria. These were included in the study for qualitative analysis.

RESULTS

Most PAs were associated with Lefort I osteotomy (69.7%), followed by sagittal split osteotomy (24.24%). Average intraoperative blood was 635 ml. Maximum number of episodes of epistaxis/swelling or bleeding occurred in second week. Mean bleeding episodes were 2.58 ± 0.996. The arteries commonly affected were internal maxillary artery (42%), sphenopalatine artery (27.27%), facial artery (15.15%), descending palatine artery (12.12%), internal carotid artery (9.09%) and infraorbital artery (3.03%). Embolization was treatment of choice in 81.81% cases.

CONCLUSION

If a patient has recurrent epistaxis or swelling after orthognathic surgery, it is advisable to go for diagnostic imaging like angiography without any delay. In recent times, advanced techniques and expertise are readily available for early diagnosis and management of pseudoaneurysm.

An extremely rare pseudoaneurysm of posterior superior alveolar artery arising after orthognathic surgery

Le Fort 1 osteotomy is one of the most versatile techniques in orthognathic surgery employed for the correction of dentofacial deformities and is considered technically safe. Pseudoaneurysms (PAs) which can cause life-threatening hemorrhage are rare after corrective jaw surgery. Here, we describe a clinical case of delayed postoperative epistaxis secondary to an extremely rare PA of the posterior superior alveolar artery followed by Le Fort 1 osteotomy subsequently managed with endovascular selective embolization.

Glue embolisation of a bleeding pseudoaneurysm related to surgically-assisted rapid palatal expansion

Vascular injuries after orthognathic surgery are rare, and mainly occur in young adults after Le Fort I osteotomies. We report the case of a 14-year-old girl who presented with life-threatening epistaxis one week after a surgically-assisted rapid palatal expansion (SARPE) followed by activation of a transpalatal distractor. Definitive treatment was superselective, catheter-directed, glue-embolisation of a bleeding bilobar pseudoaneurysm, which was located at an end branch of the left sphenopalatine artery.

Sphenopalatine arteriovenous fistula complicating transsphenoidal pituitary surgery: A rare cause of delayed epistaxis treatable by endovascular embolization

Background:

Vascular injuries in transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary adenomas are uncommon but can result in serious disability or death.

Case Description:

A 46-year-old man, who underwent resection of a pituitary adenoma with suprasellar extension via a transsphenoidal approach, presented with massive epistaxis five days postoperatively. Angiography revealed an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) between the right sphenopalatine artery and a deep vein draining to the right internal jugular vein, as well as contrast agent extravasation at the fistula point. The AVF was catheterized and successfully occluded with N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate.

Conclusions:

Transsphenoidal pituitary surgery can be complicated by massive epistaxis from a lesion of a small branch of the external carotid artery. Airway protection through intubation and investigation with conventional digital subtraction angiography is recommended. The treatment of choice is endovascular embolization because it can be done immediately at the angiography suite.

Traumatic Anterior Cerebral Artery Pseudoaneurysmal Epistaxis

BACKGROUND

Pseudoaneurysmal epistaxis is a rare but emergent condition. We report a case of traumatic anterior cerebral artery pseudoaneurysmal epistaxis and review the published literature.

CASE DESCRIPTION

A 49-year-old man sustained severe head trauma. He was diagnosed with multiple skull bone fractures, left subdural hematoma, subarachnoid hemorrhage, pneumocephalus, and right frontal hematoma. Subdural hematoma evacuation was done at a local hospital. In the following months, he experienced repeated epistaxis that required nasal packing to stop the bleeding. Digital subtraction angiography showed an anterior cerebral artery pseudoaneurysm protruding into the posterior ethmoid sinus. Embolization of the aneurysm was performed with microcoils, and the parent artery was occluded by thrombosis. The patient presented 1 month later with another epistaxis episode. Digital subtraction angiography showed recanalization of the parent artery and recurrence of the aneurysm. The parent artery was occluded for the second time with coils and Onyx embolic agent.

CONCLUSIONS

Pseudoaneurysmal epistaxis is rare, and this is the first report of an anterior cerebral artery pseudoaneurysm that manifested with epistaxis. Endovascular intervention has become the first choice of treatment for this disease. The high recurrence rate is the main disadvantage of endovascular intervention. Aneurysm trapping with bypass surgery is another treatment option.

The Endovascular Treatment of Epistaxis

Epistaxis or nosebleed is relatively common in the general population. Depending on the location of the bleeding in the nasal cavity, epistaxis can be divided in two types: anterior or posterior type. The anterior type is far more frequent, often self-limiting and, if needed, is relatively easy treatable. Posterior type epistaxis is rare and more likely to require medical attention. The cornerstone of the conservative therapy of posterior epistaxis is nasal packing. Only in patients with persistent or recurrent epistaxis, endovascular intervention or surgery is indicated. Both treatment options have a similar success and complication rate, but endovascular treatment, if feasible, has several advantages above surgical treatment. The choice of procedure should be made on a patient-to-patient basis, taking several parameters into account. In this pictorial essay we present an overview of the relevant radiological anatomy and a review of various causes of epistaxis, with the emphasis on the endovascular treatment.

Spontaneous sphenopalatine pseudoaneurysm: recurrent epistaxis in a patient with cryptogenic vasculopathy

We present a unique case of recurrent epistaxis secondary to a spontaneous sphenopalatine artery aneurysm in a young woman. This was investigated with an external carotid artery angiogram and subsequently treated successfully with endovascular embolisation of the aneurysm.

Embolization treatment of pseudoaneurysms originating from the external carotid artery

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to review a single-institution contemporary experience with embolization treatment of pseudoaneurysms (PAs) from the external carotid artery (ECA).

METHODS

From December 2000 to June 2014, PAs in the head and neck of 17 patients underwent embolization treatment and were retrospectively evaluated. All were treated with obliteration of the feeding artery or the PA by detachable coils or fibered coils, or both. Clinical follow-up was a mean of 91.9 months (range, 4-173 months) and was performed for all patients. Therapeutic outcomes were determined by evaluating the postprocedural image and clinical outcome of symptoms and signs.

RESULTS

The 17 consecutive patients with head and neck PAs who underwent coils embolization treatment consisted of 14 male patients (82.3%) and three female patients (17.7%). The average age was 37.5 years (range, 16-57 years). The most common symptom and sign was a pulsatile mass, seen in 15 of 17 patients, and other symptoms included pain (three patients) or bleeding (four patients). Digital substraction angiography revealed that the PAs originated from the ECA in 3 patients and others originated from the branches of the ECA, including the superficial temporal artery in 6 patients, internal maxillary artery in 4, superior thyroid artery in 2, and the facial artery and posterior auricular artery in 1. Seventeen coils embolizations for occlusion of the parent artery were performed in 14 patients with a transarterial approach and in three by direct percutaneous puncture. All patients remained symptom free, and no procedure-related complications occurred.

CONCLUSIONS

Embolization treatment of PAs from the ECA is a useful alternative to standard surgical repair. This modality avoids the necessity for surgical exposure of the face and of the neck with its inherent morbidity.

Predictors of intra-operative blood loss and blood transfusion in orthognathic surgery: a retrospective cohort study in 92 patients

Background

Patients undergoing orthognathic procedures can require blood transfusions. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the predictors of intra-operative blood loss in patients undergoing orthognathic procedures and the transfusion rates and practices of our institution.

Materials and methods

This retrospective study included 92 patients who underwent the following four types of orthognathic procedures: Group 1, bimaxillary; Group 2, bimaxillary with bone grafts; Group 3, LeFort I osteotomies; and Group 4, LeFort I osteotomies with bone grafts. The intra-operative blood loss, operative time, age, gender and pre- and post-operative HGB and HCT were assessed.

Results

The mean blood loss for all groups was 650 ± 397.8 mL, and there were differences in blood loss between the four groups (p = 0.211). The mean operative time was 5 hours and 32 minutes. There were no differences in intra-operative blood loss between the genders or the BMI categories. The operative time was moderately correlated with the intra-operative blood loss (p < 0.001, r =0.332). Eighteen of the 92 patients (19.5%) received blood transfusions. The mean intra-operative blood loss was higher among the patients who received transfusions (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

The only predictor of intra-operative blood loss was operative time. The observed transfusion rate was higher than those that have been reported for similar procedures; thus, our institution needs to revisit our transfusion policy and use more time-efficient techniques in the operating room.