Background and purpose: Carotid blowout syndrome (CBS) is a rare but potentially life-threatening complication that can occur in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC), especially with a history of radiotherapy. This study aimed to review and initially compare managements for post-radiation CBS in patients with HNC.
Materials and methods: A systematic review of published studies was performed. Information including management, survival, and complication were collected.
Results: A total of 39 articles and 917 cases were included in the systematic review. The interval between radiation therapy and CBS ranged from 1.2 years to 17.8 years. The managements of CBS included embolization, stent, bypass surgery, surgical ligation, electrocoagulation, flap coverage, arterial repair, and nasopharyngeal packing. The cumulative 30-day, 1-year, and 2-year overall survival rates were 85.2 %, 48.9 %, and 37.0 %, respectively, with a median survival time of 11.3 months. Disease progression and rebleeding were the most common death causes. The lowest rebleeding rate and neurologic complications rate were presented in cases receiving bypass surgery at 1.4 % and 10.8 %, respectively. The highest rebleeding rate of 35.6 % was showed in cases underwent stent, and the highest neurologic complications rate of 32.0 % was showed in cases underwent ligation.
Conclusion: Post-radiation CBS in patients with HNC had a low survival rate and high complication rate. Rebleeding and neurologic complication were common complications. Endovascular embolization and stent were the mainstream management, and bypass surgery presented a promising outcome in survival and complication for selected patients.
Keywords: Bypass; Carotid blowout syndrome; Embolization; Head and neck cancer; Ligation; Radiotherapy; Stent.
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