Massive haemoptysis is a life-threatening emergency requiring prompt and highly specialized intervention to identify the site of haemorrhage, protect the airways and stop bleeding. A wide variety of lung diseases may cause haemoptysis, including tuberculosis. The most common sources of pulmonary bleeding are bronchial (90%) and non-bronchial systemic arteries (5%). Aberrant bronchial vessels have also been described. We report the case of a patient affected by cavitary pulmonary tuberculosis who presented with massive haemoptysis from an aberrant bronchial artery originating from the sovrascapular branch of the left thyrocervical trunk. Successful embolization was performed by means of superselective arteriography. © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.