Management of carotid-cavernous fistulas by surgery combined with interventional radiology. Report of two cases.

Two cases of carotid-cavernous fistulas were successfully treated by standard interventional radiology techniques after otherwise inaccessible vessels were surgically exposed. In the first case, an internal carotid artery (ICA), which had previously been ligated as part of an attempted surgical "entrapment" procedure, was recanalized to permit passage of a detachable balloon catheter to the fistula, resulting in its obliteration. In the second case, an enlarged superior ophthalmic vein was exposed and isolated to facilitate retrograde catheterization of the cavernous sinus and obliteration of a dural fistula between the ICA and the cavernous sinus by steel Gianturco coils. The methods and complications of both procedures are discussed.