Epistaxis

Last revised by Rania Adel Anan on 22 Apr 2022

Epistaxis (plural: epistaxes) is the medical term for a nosebleed, and is very common in clinical practice with a broad differential diagnosis. Anterior epistaxes mainly bleed from Kiesselbach's plexus and posterior epistaxes (5% of all epistaxis) from Woodruff's plexus.

Epistaxis is very common, with a lifetime incidence of ~60% 2

There is a broad range of causes, both local and systemic 2:

They usually do not require imaging, unless they are very severe or recurrent. In rare instances, these can be evaluated in the interventional radiology suite for potential endovascular embolization, especially if uncontrollable with nasal packing. Ideally, prior to embolization, these cases should be imaged by head and neck CTA.

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