Unilateral versus Bilateral SPA Ligation: Risk Factors and Outcomes following Treatment for Recurrent Epistaxis

Background: Epistaxis affects up to 60 million people each year, with 6 to 10% needing medical attention. Although most cases are relatively minor and self-resolving, others are more severe requiring surgical intervention. With a purported success rate of between 85 and 100% in the literature, sphenopalatine artery (SPA) ligation poses a viable and historically successful option. There is, however, little to no published data both analyzing the risks factors believed to be responsible for rebleeding in patients undergoing SPA ligation and comparing the success rate of unilateral versus bilateral SPA ligation.