Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty prior to carotid cavernous fistula embolization.

Detachable balloon embolization has become well established as the primary treatment for carotid cavernous fistulae, and numerous articles have been written on techniques for balloon placement in the cavernous sinus [1-3]. Recently, several case reports have described the use of angioplasty of the internal carotid artery for stenosis resulting from either fibromuscular dysplasia or arteriosclerosis [4]. We report a case in which percutaneous angioplasty of a stenotic internal carotid artery resulting from trauma was performed with subsequent embolization of a large carotid cavernous fistula. To the best of our knowledge this has not been previously described.