Risk factors of epistaxis after endoscopic endonasal skull base surgeries

Epistaxis after endoscopic endonasal skull base surgeries does not typically occur as an accidental circumstance but often results from multiple factors. We aimed to assess the possible risk factors associated with postoperative epistaxis.

Patients who underwent endoscopic endonasal skull base surgery at Huashan hospital from August 2018 to November 2019 were enrolled in the study. Postoperative epistaxis was defined as severe, persistent, or recurrent arterial nosebleed, which required therapeutic intervention. Patients were divided into the epistaxis and no epistaxis groups. The incidence, clinical characteristics, management, and intraoperative findings were recorded.

A total of 762 patients were included in the study. 20 (2.6%) patients experienced postoperative epistaxis, which happened in a delayed fashion between 6 and 30 postoperative days. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that arterial hypertension (OR=3.394, 95%CI: 1.094-10.531, P = 0.034) and preoperative systolic blood pressure (SBP) (OR=1.035, 95%CI: 1.002-1.068) were identified as predictors for postoperative epistaxis. The bleeding sites were identified at the left posterior septal artery (PSA) in 10 (62.5%) cases, the right PSA in 4 (25%) cases, the left palatovaginal artery in 1 (6.25%) case, and the right inferior turbinate branch of the posterior lateral nasal artery in 1 (6.25%) case, respectively. Direct bipolar cauterization was used to stop the bleeding. After definitive treatment, no patients had recurrent epistaxis.

Arterial hypertension and preoperative SBP were associated with postoperative epistaxis after endoscopic endonasal skull base surgery, and the left PSA contributed to the dominant site of bleeding during surgical re-exploration.