[Clinical application of internal carotid artery occlusion]

To evaluate the efficiency of the internal carotid artery (ICA) occlusion in treatment of head and neck diseases.

To retrospectively analyze 28 cases related with the ICA. According to the result of balloon test occlusion (BTO) and cerebral angiogram, the balloon, spring coil or glue were used to block the fistula or haemorrhage, sometimes even to embolism the related ICA.

Twenty-six cases and 2 cases presented negative and positive in total 28 cases in BTO. Of the 26 patients, 22 were succeed in ICA occlusion. The clinical symptoms disappeared in some patients, and the others had the related tumor or foreign body being resected. Two cases (glomus jugulare tumors and intractable epistaxis after Juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma surgery in 1 case respectively) presented delayed cerebral infarction. With the thrombolysis anticoagulant therapy, the clinical symptoms in the former disappeared and in the later reduced. The balloon was let out in 1 case with the embolism the distal middle cerebral artery branches. However, the patient did not show any symptoms during the operation and observation period. One case with intractable epistaxis in nasopharygeal cancer after radiotherapy was dead. In emergency, the left ICA was blocked, then bleeding reduced with the left hemisphere presented extensive cerebral embolism. However, he died in nasal bleeding in three days.

ICA occlusion was an efficient method to save the life. Moreover, the patient's tolerance and collateral circulation should be evaluated in detail before the operation.