Silicone septal splint for recurrent epistaxis in HHT patients: experience of a national referral centre

OBJECTIVE: To report our experience in the use of silicone septal splint for recurrent severe epistaxis in hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia patients (HHT). METHODS: This is a descriptive analysis carried out at the Otorhinolaryngology Department of Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo in Pavia, a reference centre for the treatment and diagnosis of HHT. We retrospectively evaluated HHT patients who underwent silicone septal splint positioning after the endoscopic surgical treatment of epistaxis from 2000 to 2022. RESULTS: Of the 506 patients surgically treated in the period of analysis, 74 patients underwent silicone septal splint positioning and 37 were post-operatively interviewed. With a mean of 2.4 previous surgical treatments and a mean epistaxis severity of 7.38, the majority of patients presented with septal perforation (71.6%). On average, patients maintained the splint in place for 54.5 months, with a good tolerability and a significant reduction in epistaxis severity, need for blood transfusion and improvement of haemoglobin levels. CONCLUSIONS: In HHT patients with recurrent severe epistaxis and with septal perforation, the placement of septal splints offers a useful additional strategy in the management of nosebleeds.