Acute airway obstruction due to ruptured aneurysmal arterio-venous fistula: common carotid artery to internal jugular vein.

Fistulae between major vessels in the head and neck are uncommon. In both civilian and wartime reports, the total number of traumatic arterio-venous fistulae in head and neck region account for less than four per cent of all arterial injuries. Fourteen cases of congenital communication between the external carotid artery and external or internal jugular vein have been reported. We report and discuss the management of a case of ruptured carotico-jugular fistula secondary to infection which presented as acute upper airway obstruction. This appears to be the first description of such a case in the literature.