Spontaneous cervico-mediastinal haematoma

Spontaneous Retropharyngeal Hematoma - A Case Report -

“…Clinically, spontaneous retropharyngeal hematoma can present as a triad of features including superior mediastinal obstruction, anterior tracheal displacement and bruising on the neck within 48 hours with subsequent spreading to the chest wall [5]. However, in cases with no history of trauma, early diagnosis in an outpatient department may be challenging because of non-specific symptoms, such as neck pain or dysphagia, especially when a hematoma is limited to a prevertebral space.…”

Spontaneous cervical hemorrhage with near-complete airway obstruction

“…2 In one case, an aberrant artery from the aorta passed upward and to the right behind the esophagus. A tear at the junction of the mobile and the fixed parts of the artery may have occurred.…”

“…Retropharyngeal hematoma is characterized by the clinical triad of tracheal and esophageal compression, ventral tracheal displacement, and the subsequent appearance of subcutaneous bruising in the anterior neck and upper thorax. 1,2 Etiologies of retropharyngeal hematoma include infection, [3][4][5][6] cervical spine trauma, 2 , 7 -1 1 great vessel trauma, 9,12 violent head movements, 2,13 iatrogenic injury associated with cardiac catheterization 12,14 and cerebral angiography, 15,16 parathyroid adenoma hemorrhage, 1,[17][18][19] and foreignbody ingestion. 20 Anticoagulation 7,[21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30] or a hemorrhagic diathesis 31 predispose to the development of retropharyngeal hematoma.…”

Incidence and significance of traumatic mediastinal haematoma.

“…The mediastinum can accommodate a surprisingly large amount of blood, and death may be caused by mediastinal compression (case 1 of Al-Naaman, 1959; Sandor and Cooke, 1964), though I believe that a much less voluminous mediastinal haematoma may be fatal by pressure on the vagi (case 3).…”