Post-trauma carotido-cavernous fistula.

The authors report three cases of carotid-cavernous fistula occurring after severe cranio facial trauma. The diagnosis has been suspected on the assoc iation of a pulsatil exophtalmia and systolo-diastolic murmur, and confirme d by arteriography. Embolization was succesful in two patients, the third o ne died from neurologic complication before embolization. The carotid caver nous fistula is a rare but severe complication of a craniofacial trauma. Th e functional (blindness) and vital prognosis (subarachnoid and intracerebra l haemorrage). Treatment by interventional neuroadiology has considerably i mproved the outcome. (C) 2001 Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.