TUESDAY, June 1 (HealthDay News) -- For recurrent or uncontrollable epistaxis, embosurgery of the distal internal maxillary artery (IMax) via detachable platinum fibered coils (DPFCs) is a safe and effective procedure, according to research published in the June issue of the Journal of Neurointerventional Surgery.
Walter S. Lesley, M.D., of the Scott & White Clinic in Temple, Texas, and colleagues conducted a retrospective analysis of 20 patients (13 men and 7 women; mean age, 63 years) with uncontrollable or recurrent epistaxis treated during 2006 to 2009 with embosurgery of the distal IMax using DPFCs.
The researchers found that 17 patients had bilateral and three patients had unilateral embolization, with 95 percent remaining free of nosebleed requiring medical or surgical intervention during the follow-up period. One patient reported transient facial pain, but there were no other complications. No procedure-related deaths, blindness or stroke occurred, though one patient died during the follow-up period from causes unrelated to nosebleed.
"DPFC embosurgery is effective and safe in managing uncontrollable epistaxis. Also, IMax embolization with DPFC appears to offer a lower risk and higher efficacy profile than either particulate embosurgery or open surgical ligation in the management of recalcitrant epistaxis," the authors write.
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