Epistaxis.
Epistaxis is discussed. Three unusual cases are reported. The first was a patient with a basal skull fracture due to a motor vehicle accident. He developed a carotid-cavernous fistula causing epistaxis severe enough to cause a cardiac arrest on one of his bouts of severe bleeding. The second was an unusual complication of a rhinoplasty due to damage to the anterior ethmoidal artery from the medial osteotomy. The third was due to psychopathology causing an adult female to traumatize her nose as an attention-getting or defence mechanism causing epistaxis with anemia requiring bi-annual blood transfusions of more than 175 units of blood over a 20 year period. Management is described.
D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000150:complications; D001164:Arteriovenous Fistula / Q000150:complications; D002343:Carotid Artery, Internal; D002426:Cavernous Sinus; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications; D004844:Epistaxis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000150:complications; D005624:Frontal Bone / Q000293:injuries; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009295:Nasal Bone / Q000293:injuries / Q000601:surgery; D012225:Rhinoplasty / Q000009:adverse effects