Posterior epistaxis management: review of the literature and proposed guidelines of the hellenic rhinological-facial plastic surgery society
Hellenic Rhinological-Facial Plastic Sur… · 2023 · Greece
Source and licence
- Authors
- Ioannis Koskinas, Timoleon Terzis, Christos Georgalas et al.
- Title
- Posterior epistaxis management: review of the literature and proposed guidelines of the hellenic rhinological-facial plastic surgery society
- Journal
- European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, 2023
- Licence
- CC BY 4.0
- Changes
- Verbatim excerpts; formatting adapted
Full text retrieved 2026-10-27 from Europe PMC · PMC10943169
Licence statement of the original publication
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Recommendations
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Abstract
Purpose: Posterior epistaxis is a common emergency in ENT practice varying in severity and treatment. Many management guidelines have been proposed, all of which are a product of retrospective analyses due to the nature of this pathology, as large-scale double-blind studies are impossible—even unethical—to conduct. The purpose of this review is to perform a thorough analysis and comparison of every treatment plan available and establish guidelines for the best possible outcome in accordance to every parameter studied. Given the extensive heterogeneity of information and the multitude of studies on this topic, along with the comparison of various treatment options, we opted for a literature review as our research approach.
Methods: A review of the literature was performed using PubMed Database and search terms included “posterior epistaxis”, “treatment”, “management”, “guidelines”, “algorithm” “nasal packing”, “posterior packing”, “surgery”, “SPA ligation”, “embolization”, “risk factors” or a combination of the above.
Results: Initial patients’ assessment invariably results in most cases in posterior packing. There seems to be a superiority in recent literature of early surgery over nasal packing as a definitive treatment. Embolization is usually used after surgery failure, except for specific occasions.
Conclusion: Despite the vast heterogeneity of information, there seems to be a need for re-evaluation of the well-established treatment plans according to more recent studies.
Graphical abstract: Suggested treatment algorithm for posterior epistaxis. ABC Airway-Breathing-Circulation, ECA external carotid artery, AEA anterior ethmoidal artery, BT blood transfusion, FA facial artery, HB haemoglobin, IMA internal maxillary artery, SPA sphenopalatine artery
Suggested treatment algorithm for posterior epistaxis. ABC Airway-Breathing-Circulation, ECA external carotid artery, AEA anterior ethmoidal artery, BT blood transfusion, FA facial artery, HB haemoglobin, IMA internal maxillary artery, SPA sphenopalatine artery
Contents of the original publication
The section headings of the original.
- Introduction
- Materials and methods
- Study design
- Database and search terms
- Inclusion criteria
- Exclusion criteria
- Selection process
- Outcome
- Results
- Definition of posterior epistaxis and key bleeding areas
- Grades of posterior epistaxis (Fig. 1)
- Predisposing factors
- Initial assessment
- Nasal packing
- Antibiotic prophylaxis
- Definitive treatment
- Discussion
- Early endoscopic SPA ligation vs nasal packing
- Postoperative epistaxis
- Ligation vs cauterization
- SPA ligation vs arterial embolization (Table 6)
- Conclusion
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