Background: External carotid arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) are rare and most hospitals have limited experience with their management. This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of endovascular embolization of AVFs of the external carotid artery under angiographic control.
Methods: A series of 13 patients with AVFs involving the branches of the external carotid artery, all treated with endovascular embolization, were reviewed. There were 10 males and three females ranging in age from nine to 46 years, with a mean of 27 years. The most frequent presenting symptoms were pulsatile tinnitus, followed by bruit and/or thrill, ocular problems, headache and a pulsatile mass in the neck. The middle meningeal artery was most often involved, followed by the internal maxillary artery and the occipital artery. The AVFs were caused by trauma in 10 patients and occurred spontaneously in three. N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate was used to embolize the fistula in 11 patients and a detachable balloon was used in two.
Results: All the patients were cured and no significant complications were observed. No recurrence was noted after a clinical follow-up of three months to seven years (mean, 37 months).
Conclusions: Endovascular embolization proved to be a safe and effective procedure. It should be the treatment of choice for repair of external carotid AVFs.