Retropharyngeal haematoma – an unusual cause of airway obstruction

Abstract

Retropharyngeal haematoma is a rare and potentially fatal cause of airway obstruction. The treatment of retropharyngeal haematoma is contentious. We report a case of an 84 year old woman on aspirin and warfarin who developed a retropharyngeal haematoma following minor blunt head and neck trauma. The patient presented insidiously with Capp's triad and developed delayed airway obstruction necessitating emergency fibreoptic endoscopic intubation. Both tracheostomy and surgical drainage were avoided and she recovered well.