Background

The cases of posterior epistaxis represent approximately 10 to 20% of all epistaxis. The conventional treatment for this type of ailment is nasal packing. A surgical approach (cauterization and/ or clipping) is indicated when there is a failure of the conventional medical treatment; however, it is currently considered as the first option.

Material and methods

All the epistaxis cases treated at the Hospital Español de México from January 2007 to January 2017 were reviewed. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to compare the conservative group (nasal packing) versus the surgical one (clipping).

Results

242 dossiers were reviewed, of which 108 were excluded. 134 patients were included: 96 belonged to the surgical group and 38 to the conservative one. 60.20% were male and 39.80% were female. The mean age was 60 years. The surgical group (3.4 ± 1.9 days) required fewer days of hospital stay compared to the conservative group (4.8 ± 3.0 days), p < 0.01. Patients with right-sided epistaxis in the surgical group had a longer surgical time (p = 0.001) and more days of hospital stay (p = 0.006).

Conclusions

Epistaxis occurs in most cases idiopathically, often in men over 60 years with cardiopulmonary diseases, without a precise knowledge of its physiopathology. Right epistaxis treated surgically results in more morbidity. The surgical approach is safe, effective and shortens the days of hospital stay compared to the conservative treatment.

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