TRAUMATIC GIANT ANEURYSM OF THE INTRACAVERNOUS INTERNAL CAROTID-ARTERY CAUSING FATAL EPISTAXIS - CASE-REPORT

A patient with a giant intracavernous carotid aneurysm usually has sym ptoms and signs of a space-occupying lesion, producing one of a variet y of types of cavernous sinus syndromes. Epistaxis is an unusual featu re in these patients. A patient who noted the onset of repeated arteri al epistaxis 2 years after a severe head injury was found to have a tr aumatic aneurysm of the cavernous portion of internal carotid artery. After angiography, he suddenly developed profuse, pulsatile, arterial epistaxis and had a cardiopulmonary arrest. This case and a review of previously reported cases emphasize the importance of early cerebral a ngiography in patients with posttraumatic recurrent epistaxis.