[Posttraumatic retropharyngeal hematoma of delayed onset]

Retropharyngeal hematoma (RE) is a rare occurrence. A case of RE in a 48-year-old man who suffered a whiplash trauma in a motor vehicle accident is reported. He had been receiving long-term aspirin therapy for ischemic heart disease. Management consisted on tracheostomy and medical treatment and the patient evolved satisfactorily. Whiplash injuries that take place in predisposed subjects can originate RE. Diagnosis is made by X-ray and CT. If acute airway obstruction occurs it is safer to perform tracheostomy than endotracheal intubation. If the lesion is non-expanding, medical treatment is preferred by most authors, so do we.