Epistaxis (Nosebleeds)
What is Epistaxis?
Epistaxis is the medical term for nosebleed. It is a common problem that usually stops by itself or is easily controlled in a medical environment. However, in small group of patients with more severe episodes of bleeding require additional treatment.

Nose bleeding in such a patient may be due to a variety of reasons, such as:

Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia:
Also known as Osler Weber Rendu, is a genetically inherited condition. It is characterized by small blood vessel malformations, known as telangiectasias, affecting the skin and mucosal membranes. Nosebleeds, known as epistaxis, are the most common symptom, with recurrent bleeds affecting 50-80% of patients.

Spontaneous epistaxis:
Spontaneous epistaxis usually occurs in the fifth decade of life and may be associated with hypertension or liver insufficiency. The nose bleed resolves without medical treatment, however, in some patients, the intensity or repetition of hemorrhages in a short period of time may require more invasive nosebleed treatments like embolization.

Vascular malformations:
See our section on this complex condition

Tumor
Frequent nosebleeds later in life may be an indication of an underlining primary disease. Therefore, patients presenting with spontaneous epistaxis in the fifth decade of life should undergo CT examination to rule out possible nasal tumor.

Trauma
Injuries resulting from trauma are the most responsive to endovascular nosebleed treatments like embolization.

Endovascular Treatment for Epistaxis
The first step in treating this group is "packing" the nose, which should be performed by an appropriately trained physician.

If bleeding cannot be stopped with packing alone, embolization of the blood vessels in the nose may be necessary. The physicians at the Center of Endovascular Surgery, using endovascular techniques, have been highly successful in stopping bleeding from the nose as well as from other parts of the head and neck.