Traumatic aneurysm of the maxillary artery: the role of interventional radiology. A report of two cases

Abstract

Two cases of post-traumatic aneurysm of the maxillary artery are described. The first patient was a 20-year-old man who sustained a Le Fort III type fracture in a road traffic accident. He experienced two episodes of significant maxillofacial haemorrhage, the first following admission and the second 5 days after initial reduction and fixation of his midfacial fractures. The second patient was a 23-year-old man with a bilateral cleft palate and extreme midfacial hypoplasia who underwent Le Fort I osteotomy. Significant bleeding commenced 3 h postoperatively and was not completely controlled by anterior and posterior nasal packing. Both the aneurysms were diagnosed on selective carotid angiography and successfully treated by embolization.