title: The 'sentinel clot' sign in spontaneous retropharyngeal hematoma secondary to parathyroid apoplexy.
abstract: Spontaneous retropharyngeal hemorrhage from a cervical parathyroid adenoma is a rare complication of primary hyperparathyroidism. Because of its rarity, it has seldom been documented in the radiologic or ENT literature. Patients may present with a variety of manifestations, ranging from dysphagia to dysphonia to life-threatening dyspnea or hemorrhage. Awareness of a possible thyroid or parathyroid etiology may expedite treatment and prevent unnecessary interventions. We present a case of spontaneous retropharyngeal hemorrhage in which the "sentinel clot" sign enabled us to identify the lesion of origin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, The Alfred Hospital, Victoria, Australia. drgeorgek@gmail.com
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Koulouris
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pianta
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stuckey
mesh_terms: D000236:Adenoma / Q000150:complications*; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006406:Hematoma / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D010282:Parathyroid Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D012187:Retroperitoneal Space