The Endovascular Treatment of Epistaxis

Outcomes after endovascular embolization for the treatment of nasal and oropharyngeal hemorrhage: safety, efficacy, and rebleeding

BACKGROUND

Intractable nasal and oropharyngeal hemorrhage may be treated with endovascular embolization, but limited data are available. We sought to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and factors associated with rebleeding.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of consecutive embolizations for nasal and oropharyngeal hemorrhage over a 10-year period at a single institution was performed. Outcomes included procedural success (defined as cessation of hemorrhage in the immediate postoperative period), rebleeding requiring an additional intervention, and procedural complications.

RESULTS

A total of 47 embolizations on 39 patients were included. The mean age was 60 years (standard deviation 16.1), 23.1% of patients were women, and 21 (53.8%) patients had a previously diagnosed head/neck malignancy. Bleeding sites were the nose in 20 patients and oropharynx in 21 (two patients presented with both nasal and oral bleeding). Immediate procedural success was achieved in 45 (95.7%) embolizations. Rebleeding requiring an additional intervention occurred after 11 (23.4%) embolizations at a median of one day after the procedure. In the multivariate analysis, preoperative hypotension (odds ratio 4.78, 95% confidence interval 1.04-24.61) and the use of coils (odds ratio 6.09, 95% confidence interval 1.24-46.69) were associated with rebleeding requiring repeat intervention. Complications included two watershed strokes that were anticipated due to occlusion of the internal carotid artery.

CONCLUSIONS

In our experience endovascular embolization was a safe and effective treatment option for stopping oral and nasal hemorrhage. However, rebleeding was present after 23.4% of treatments and was associated with preoperative hypotension and the use of coils. Further study in a large multi-institutional cohort is warranted.