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Microwave ablation for the treatment of arterial epistaxis: “how I do it”
Author(s) -
Lou ZhengCai,
Dong Yihan,
Lou ZiHan
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
international forum of allergy and rhinology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.503
H-Index - 46
eISSN - 2042-6984
pISSN - 2042-6976
DOI - 10.1002/alr.22304
Subject(s) - medicine , surgery , ablation , rhinology , lesion , perforation , rhinorrhea , otorhinolaryngology , materials science , punching , metallurgy
Background Arterial epistaxis is commonly seen in the rhinology clinic and can have a significant impact on quality of life. Previous studies have explored various therapies to address epistaxis. Methods Patients were treated in the outpatient clinic or operating room by microwave ablation (MWA) with a 2450‐MHz cooled‐shaft antenna to treat an epistaxis bleeding point. Results Of the 481 patients with arterial epistaxis, bleeding was controlled within 1 to 2 minutes and only 2 patients with recurrent bleeding required re‐ablation. The shape of the thermal lesion was elliptical and it was approximately 2 mm in length, 1 mm in width, and 0.5 to 1 mm in penetration depth. Of the 481 patients, 167 (34.7%) complained of minor nasal pain on the same day of ablation. No patients complained of nasal pain or obstruction during the follow‐up period. In addition, 139 (28.9%) patients showed a minor increase in rhinorrhea during the first postoperative week. Of the 481 patients, 469 (97.5%) were followed‐up at 6 months with no severe MWA‐related complications, such as septal perforation, synechiae formation, or orbit and brain complications. Conclusion MWA is a technically feasible alternative method for patients with arterial epistaxis.