Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Radiology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, Jalan Yaakob Latiff, 56000 Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. [email protected]
Singapore Med J, 2014 Oct;55(10):e165-8.
PMID: 25631906

Abstract

Epistaxis is commonly encountered in otorhinolaryngologic practice. However, severe and recurrent epistaxis is rarely seen, especially that originating from a pseudoaneurysm of the intracavernous internal carotid artery (ICA). We herein present the case of a 32-year-old man who was involved in a motor vehicle accident and subsequently developed recurrent episodes of profuse epistaxis for the next three months, which required blood transfusion and nasal packing to control the bleeding. Computed tomography angiography revealed a large intracavernous ICA pseudoaneurysm measuring 1.7 cm × 1.2 cm × 1.0 cm. The patient underwent emergent four-vessel angiography and coil embolisation and was discharged one week later without any episode of bleeding. He remained asymptomatic after three-month and one‑year intervals. This case report highlights a large intracavernous ICA pseudoaneurysm as a rare cause of epistaxis, which requires a high index of suspicion in the right clinical setting and emergent endovascular treatment to prevent mortality.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.