title: Airway obstruction due to spontaneous retropharyngeal hemorrhage.
abstract: A patient is described with polycythemia vera who was taking anticoagulants and developed a spontaneous retropharyngeal hemorrhage after a violent sneezing episode. This progressed to tracheal compression with stridor after he had taken some aspirin for relief of the neck pain. An emergency tracheostomy was life saving.
mesh_terms: D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic; D001728:Dicumarol / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004438:Ecchymosis / Q000209:etiology; D006406:Hematoma / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009333:Neck / Q000098:blood supply; D010608:Pharyngeal Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D011087:Polycythemia Vera / Q000150:complications; D014133:Tracheal Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D014140:Tracheotomy
chemical_list: D001728:Dicumarol