[Treatment of carotid-cavernous fistula using a detachable balloon catheter--a case report and review].

: A case of post-traumatic carotid cavernous fistula, successfully treated by a detachable balloon catheter, is reported. A 55-year-old housewife was admitted to the author's department on 25th August, 1980. Three months prior to admission, she complained of right tinnitus following a traffic accident and then developed right chemosis and exophthalmus. A selective right internal carotid angiography revealed rapid filling of the carotid cavernous fistula. Under general anesthesia, the patient was treated by the maneuver after Debrun. Since it appeared necessary to employ the second balloon, the first one was released gently being inflated only with the contrast medium. During the procedure, the neck of the balloon was incidentally snapped upward and, then, the fistula was eventually occluded preserving the carotid flow as was verified by a control angiography. The bruit was abolished immediately after the procedure and all ocular symptoms disappeared during the following a few weeks. A skull film showed a deflation of the balloon at 4 weeks postoperatively, but clinical and angiographic follow-up examinations at 9 months thereafter revealed no signs or symptoms of recurrence. This Debrun's procedure is being widely accepted for a carotid cavernous fistula as a relatively simpler, safer, and more effective one comparing with the conventional methods. Our experiment on dogs, however, indicated that rupture of the balloon is not always avoidable even with a smaller volume than its maximum capacity and some resistance was felt during introduction of the co-axial catheter. Thus, it appeared mandatory to improve and quality control the balloon and the catheter. In the case presented here, a follow-up angiography showed no recurrence of the fistula except for an asymptomatic pseud-aneurysmal pouch, even though the balloon was inflated only with the contrast medium and was deflated within 4 weeks. These findings suggest possibility of successful, and long-lasting outcome without employing silicone.