[An unusual site of bleeding from esophageal varices]

A case of massive upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage from proximal esophageal varices is reported. Upper esophageal varices occur rarely, and serve as collaterals in conditions of superior vena cava obstruction. In our patient, cervical esophageal varices were associated with portal hypertension due to occult liver cirrhosis. As the diagnosis was made at autopsy, this case serves to stress the importance of a through examination of the cervical portion of the esophagus during routine endoscopy.