Covered Stent Graft for Treatment of Carotid Blowout Syndrome in Patients With Head and Neck Cancer.

Abstract

Importance: Carotid blowout syndrome (CBS) is a rare life-threatening complication of head and neck cancer that requires either surgical or endovascular treatment such as a carotid occlusion procedure or stent-graft placement. CBS outcomes and complications of its management using endovascular stent-graft placement remain unclear due to limited published data. Given that this treatment approach is increasingly used, understanding its efficacy and associated risks is paramount.

Objective: To evaluate the periprocedural and postprocedural complications and outcomes associated with stent-graft treatment for CBS in patients with head and neck cancer.

Design, setting, and participants: This case series study conducted at the Institut Gustave Roussy (Villejuif, France) between January 2006 and December 2021 included all eligible patients with head and neck cancer who experienced CBS and were referred for endovascular treatment. Risk factors and periprocedural and postprocedural data were collected retrospectively from medical records. Data analyses were performed from July 2022 to July 2024.

Exposure: Endovascular stent-graft placement for the treatment of CBS in patients with head and neck cancer.

Main outcomes and measures: Periprocedural and postprocedural complications of stent-graft placement. Secondary outcomes were technical success, defined as immediate control of hemorrhage; 30-day and overall survival rates; and risk factors for mortality and rebleeding. Risk factors considered were body mass index (BMI), CBS presentation, hemodynamic status, tumor stage, and radiation dose.

Results: In all, 67 CBS-related stent-graft procedures were performed in 62 patients (mean [SD] age, 55.4 [10.1] years; 10 [16.1%] females and 52 [83.9%] males), most with advanced-stage head and neck cancer, over 15 years. The most frequently observed clinical complications were rebleeding (16 patients [38.8%]) and stroke (9 patients [13.4%]). Immediate hemostasis was achieved in 100% of cases. The survival rate was 77.3% (51 participants) at 30 days postprocedure, with a median (IQR) overall survival time of 59 (32-141.5) days. Acute CBS presentation (risk ratio, 4.30; 95% CI, 1.11-28.23) and BMI (risk ratio, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.77-0.99) showed a statistically significant association with 30-day mortality in univariate analysis.

Conclusions and relevance: The findings of the case-series study indicate that CBS can be safely managed with endovascular stent-graft placement that preserves carotid patency; however, it carries significant risks of ischemia and rebleeding. These findings suggest that stent grafts should be used only in specific clinical scenarios. Despite achieving a high rate of technical success in controlling hemorrhage, the overall and 30-day survival outcomes underscore the critical implications of CBS in patients with cancer and its associated therapeutic challenges.