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We report a 63-year-old man who presented with massive bleeding 23 months after irradiation for glottic cancer. He had undergone bilateral functional neck dissection without laryngectomy after irradiation. Pain in the left submandible suggested the site of bleeding. We found a hypopharyngeal fistula that communicated with the carotid artery lumen. The necrotic portion of the artery was ligated and resected with adequate replacement of blood volume : 20 units of blood. Bleeding occurred again on the 47th post-operative day and he developed a pharyngocutaneous fistula. We performed a laryngectomy with a pectoralis major myocutaneous skin flap (PMMF) following full nutritional management.Traditional ligation of the carotid artery still has an important role in the management of carotid rupture with radiation necrosis. One should not hesitate to perform laryngectomies with PMMF to avoid the risk of re-rupture, and we emphasize the need to perform early aggressive surgery with adequate nutritional management.