Main Article Content
Endovascular treatment of intractable epistaxis — results of a 4-year local audit
Abstract
Design. Retrospective review.
Setting. Unitas Interventional Unit, Centurion.
Methods. Case record review (57 procedures) and telephonic interviews (36 traceable respondents). Outcome measures. A numerical audit of the success and complication rates for embolisation procedures performed during the 4-year period between July 1999 and June 2003.
Results. A total of 57 endovascular embolisation procedures were performed for intractable epistaxis in 51 patients during this period. Eight patients (15.7%) developed a re-bleed between 1 and 33 days after embolisation, of whom 5 were reembolised, giving a primary short-term success rate of 86.3% and secondary assisted success rate of 94.1%. Thirty-five of 36 respondents (97.2%) reported no further epistaxis during the long-term follow-up period of 1 - 47 months. The mortality rate was 0%, the major morbidity rate was 2% (1 stroke) and the minor morbidity rate was 25%.
Conclusion. Our success and complication rates are acceptable and compare favourably with those reported in other large series.
S Afr Med J 2004; 94: 373-378.