Endovascular treatment of traumatic direct carotid-cavernous fistulas: a retrospective case series study of 54 patients / 国际脑血管病杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of endovascular embolization in the treatment of traumatic carotid cavernous fistula (TCCF) and the influencing factors of outcomes.Methods:Patients with Barrow A type TCCF underwent intravascular embolization in the Department of Neurosurgery, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University from January 2009 to November 2019 were enrolled. They were treated with detachable balloons or Onyx-18 combined with coils via transarterial approach, and clinical and imaging follow-up were performed after operation. Recurrence was defined as a lesion that was completely embolized immediately, but the original fistula was redeveloped during imaging follow-up. The clinical recovery was defined as the disappearance of intracranial vascular murmur, pulsatile exophthalmos, conjunctival hyperemia and edema, the movement of eyeball without disorder and the restoration of vision loss. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent risk factors for affecting imaging recurrence and clinical recovery. Results:A total of 54 patients with Barrow A type TCCF were enrolled. Their age was 42.5±10.6 years (range, 28-70 years); 36 were male (66.7%). Clinical manifestations 40 patients (74.1%) had ocular symptoms (exophthalmos, conjunctival congestion, etc.), 35 (64.8%) had intracranial vascular murmur, 36 (66.7%) had visual impairment (decreased vision, visual field defect), 32 (59.3%) had headache, 15 (28.3%) had abducens nerve palsy, and 4 (9.1%) had epistaxis. Fourty-seven patients (87.0%) had superior ophthalmic vein drainage, 19 (35.2%) had superior and inferior petrosal sinus drainage, and 9 (16.7%) had cortical vein drainage. Twenty-eight patients (51.9%) were treated with Onyx-18 combined with coils, and 26 (48.1%) were treated with detachable balloons. After operation, 47 patients (87.0%) were immediately totally embobilized, 4 of them were totally embolized with Onyx-18 and coils after the failure of balloon embolization; 7 patients (13.0%) achieved subtotal embolization. Forty-seven patients (87.0%) recovered after surgery, and the symptoms of 4 patients were better than before admission but the vision did not fully recover (among them, 3 had the symptoms of abducens nerve palsy), 2 had mild hemiplegia, and no patients died after surgery. At postoperative follow-up, 5 (9.3%) recurred, and then they achieved total embolization with Onyx-18 combined with coils. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that subtotal embolization was an independent risk factor for postoperative imaging recurrence (odds ratio 16.63, 95% confidence interval 1.74-159.33; P=0.015), and the presence of cortical venous drainage was an independent risk factor for affecting postoperative clinical recovery (odds ratio 19.08, 95% confidence interval 1.61-226.58; P=0.020). Conclusion:Both of Onyx-18 combined with coils and detachable balloons are safe and effective for the treatment of TCCF. Subtotal embolization is associated with imaging recurrence, and the presence of cortical venous drainage is an independent influencing factor of clinical recovery.