title: Sphenopalatine artery ligation: technical note.
abstract: Epistaxis is a common problem. Most patients presenting to hospital will stop bleeding with simple first-aid measures or with nasal packing. Those who do not stop will usually require surgical management. For persistent posterior epistaxis, the sphenopalatine artery may be ligated as the artery leaves the sphenopalatine foramen to enter the nasal mucosa of the lateral wall of the nose. This may be performed endoscopically. We describe the anatomy of the area and the surgical technique. We also present a brief review of the literature on this technique.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Gloucester Royal Hospital, Gloucester, UK. davpothier.com
authors.forename: David D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Pothier
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mackeith
authors.forename: Robin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Youngs
mesh_terms: D004844:Epistaxis / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008026:Ligation / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D008438:Maxillary Artery / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000601:surgery; D009296:Nasal Cavity / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000601:surgery