[The value of therapeutic arteriography in the treatment of tympano-jugular glomus tumours (author's transl)].

In this article, the authors stress three fundamental points in the diagnostic and therapeutic angiographic study of tympano-jugular glomus tumours. The first basic concept is the need for complete right, left, internal carotid, vertebral and external carotid angiographic examination. The latter must be selective, regardless of the information provided by common carotid arteriography. This implies prior knowledge of the different arteries which may "supply" the gloumus tumour. The second basic point is the concept of vascular compartment, , often mutually independent and vascularised by a single pedicle. The juxtaposition of the different vascular compartments gives the exact size of the tumour. The third important point concerns embolisation carried out at the same time as diagnostic angiography. This is invariably indicated on a pre-operative basis, except in two circumstances: --when the glomus, tumour is small and situated close to the drum of the tympanum, its surgical excision posing no problem of haemostasis under these circumstances: --when radiotherapy is envisaged as treatment of the glomus tumour when surgery is impossible. In this case, embolisation is contraindicated for two reasons: -radiotherapy is more effective when blood flow is preserved; -the risks of necrosis are increased.