ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE To assess the treatment reliability of covered stent for carotid artery blowout after head and neck tumors resection. METHODS Five cases with postoperative rupture of carotid artery invaded by the head and neck tumor were reviewed. They presented with life threatening massive neck or oral bleedings. All of them were treated with self expanding covered stents through intervention therapy approach. RESULTS The covered stent were successfully deployed in the target arteries in all cases,the instant isolation effect was quite satisfactory. After treatment, angiography showed successful occlusion of the pseudoaneurysm, patency of carotid artery lumen, and significant improvement of clinical symptoms without neurologic dysfunction. Following up 2 to 36 months, 3 patients were alive with no disease, two patients died of recurrence. CONCLUSION For the treatment of carotid blowout, endovascular occlusion with covered stent is a minimally-invasive, safe and reliable methods.