Aorto--bronchial fistula resulting from an accidental fall one year earlier.

A 75-year-old woman presented with massive haemoptysis 12 months after tripping over her shopping trolley. CT scanning and transoesophageal echocardiography demonstrated a traumatic false aneurysm which was confirmed at surgery to be partially ruptured. Aortobronchial fistula is an unusual cause of massive haemoptysis. It should be considered particularly in patients known to have abnormalities of the thoracic aorta.