[Immediate and severe epistaxis caused by traumatic rupture of the carotid siphon. Apropos of a case treated by intravascular approach].

The authors report a recent case of massive and immediate epistaxis resulting from a rupture of the internal intracavernous carotid artery caused by closed head injury. The point out the unusualness and the extreme severity of such lesions. The pathogenesis of these epistaxis can be explained by an immediate arterial rupture proceeding from a sphenoidal fracture. The emergency bilateral carotid angiography states precisely the diagnosis and the level of the rupture, allowing in the same time the intravascular treatment by detachable balloon.