[Ligation of the sphenopalatine artery in posterior epistaxis. Retrospective study of 50 patients].

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of endoscopic ligation of the sphenopalatine artery in the treatment of severe posterior epistaxis. METHODS We have carried out a retrospective study on 50 patients hospitalised with posterior recurrent epistaxis, in whom posterior nasal packing was not effective. All of them underwent surgical treatment, with endoscopic ligation of the sphenopalatine artery to control the epistaxis. RESULTS Only seven patients had a new epistaxis after surgery. One of them is being studied for some kind of coagulopathy, another patient was controlled by ligation of the anterior ethmoidal artery and it was necessary to ligate the contralateral sphenopalatine artery in a third patient. The other four patients were controlled with posterior nasal packing and discharged two days after surgery, without any complications. CONCLUSIONS We believe that endoscopic ligation of the sphenopalatine artery is a safe technique, with fewer complications than other methods such as posterior packing or embolisation.