Clinical observation on repatency after the external carotid arterty ligation:with a report of 2 cases

Objective:To investigate whether the external carotid artery which has been ligated can get repatency through the ligation or the ramus anastomosis of collateral circulation above and below the ligation position.Methods:From September 1988 to April 1995, the external carotid artery had been ligated in 9 patients with severe epistaxis. Among them, 2 patients had recurrence epistaxis in the side of the ligation,of whom 1 recurred on the 5 years after ligation and 1 recurred on the 7 years after ligation.Digital subtraction angiography on the external carotid artery which had been ligated was performed in order to confirm the relation between the ligated external carotid artery and the recurrence epistaxis in the 2 patients.Result: The external carotid artery which had been ligated could not get repatency through the ligation or the ramus anastomosis of collateral circulation above and below the ligation position,and the ramus anastomosis of collateral circulation above and below the ligation couldn′t had formed. The external carotid artery which had been ligated had no relation with the recurrence of epistaxis.Conclusion: The external carotid artery which have been ligated can not get repatency as time goes on.