Acute calcific tendinitis of the longus colli muscle masquerading as a retropharyngeal abscess: A case report and review of the literature

Alamoudi, Uthman; Al-Sayed, Ahmed A.; Alsallumi, Yasser; Rigby, Matthew H.; Taylor, S. Mark; Hart, Robert D.; Trites, Jonathan

doi:10.1016/j.ijscr.2017.10.063

Cited by 24 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Acute calcific longus colli tendinitis is a rare, noninfectious inflammatory condition that involves deposition of calcium crystals in the longus colli [1]. The mechanism of calcium deposition is largely unknown; however, it may be secondary to repetitive trauma, recent injury, tissue necrosis, or ischemia [4].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Acute calcific longus colli tendinitis is a noninfectious inflammatory process secondary to the "deposition of amorphous calcium hydroxyapatite crystals in the tendons of the longus colli muscle," most commonly anterior to the C1-C2 vertebral level [1]. Symptoms commonly include neck pain, limited cervical range of motion with neck stiffness, and odynophagia.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Severe neck pain and odynophagia secondary to acute calcific longus colli tendinitis: a case report

et al. 2020

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Background: Acute calcific longus colli tendinitis is a rare, noninfectious inflammatory condition caused by the deposition of calcium crystals. The condition is self-limiting, yet commonly misdiagnosed. Here we report a case of a patient with severe neck pain and odynophagia initially misdiagnosed as a retropharyngeal abscess before establishing the correct diagnosis of acute calcific longus colli tendinitis. Case presentation: A 60-year-old Caucasian man presented to an outside emergency department with a 5-day history of neck pain and odynophagia. The neck pain was severe and aggravated by movement. Laboratory evaluation revealed leukocytosis and elevated C-reactive protein. Computed tomography of his neck soft tissues was initially interpreted as a retropharyngeal abscess. Antibiotic therapy with piperacillin/tazobactam was initiated, and the patient was transferred to our tertiary care center for further evaluation and treatment. On physical examination, the patient's neck range of motion was significantly diminished, and bilateral neck tenderness was present. An otolaryngologist performed an examination with laryngoscopy, the result of which was unremarkable. A radiologist at our facility interpreted his outside magnetic resonance imaging as showing "calcification in the prevertebral muscles at C1-C2, inflammation with edema of the prevertebral muscles, and retropharyngeal space edema/effusion," consistent with acute calcific longus colli tendinitis. His antibiotics were discontinued, and he was started on intravenous ketorolac. He had significant improvement in his neck range of motion, and his pain diminished greatly. He was discharged on a 10-day course of diclofenac (50 mg three times daily). At 1-week follow-up, the patient was doing well; he had returned to work, and his pain was well controlled. Conclusions: This case report details the presentation, characteristic radiographic findings, and management of a patient with an extremely rare condition of neck pain and odynophagia that could be treated with nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Severe neck pain and odynophagia secondary to acute calcific longus colli tendinitis: a case report

et al. 2020

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“…For acute longus colli tendinitis, there is deposition of calcium hydroxyapatite crystals in the tendons of the longus colli muscle. The specific aetiology is not known but postulated mechanisms include excessive mechanical trauma in conjunction with existing degenerative cervical spinal diseases, renal failure, collagen vascular disorders or osteoarthritis, which can result in deposition of calcium crystals in muscle tendons 2 12 13. CT scan is the gold standard for diagnosis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Acute longus colli tendinitis is an uncommon self-limiting inflammatory condition due to deposition of calcium hydroxyapatite crystals in the prevertebral muscles 2. Fewer than 80 cases have been reported so far according to a recent review in literature 3 4.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Laryngeal gout mimicking chondrosarcoma with concurrent longus colli tendinitis

et al. 2019

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A 42-year-old man with multiple comorbidities, including gout, presented to the emergency department with severe odynophagia for 4 days with intermittent dysphagia for 1–2 months. A CT scan of the neck showed right longus colli tendinitis and partially calcified excrescences from the right thyroid cartilage which raised suspicion of a cartilaginous tumour. He underwent an MRI scan of the neck to better evaluate the thyroid cartilage findings, which showed a heterogeneous mass suspicious for a chondroid tumour. He then underwent a positron-emission tomography-CT scan which showed a fluorodeoxyglucose-avid mass containing foci of calcification involving the right thyroid cartilage and adjacent strap muscle, with high standardised uptake value of 7.7. He subsequently underwent a CT-guided biopsy and an open biopsy of the right thyroid cartilage, and the results revealed gouty tophi. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of laryngeal gout with longus coli tendinitis, both of which are rare conditions.

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“…A relevant aspect is that neck pain may worsen with deglutition and head movement 1 . Moreover, headaches, longus colli muscle spasms, limitation in neck movement, particularly extension, pharyngeal edema, nasopharyngeal erythema, fever, increase inflammatory markers, and leukocytosis can also be present 12 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acute calcific retropharyngeal tendinitis: a three-case series and a literature review

Santos¹,

Andrade²

2019

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Acute retropharyngeal tendinitis is a rare, self-limiting, benign condition that is poorly described in the literature. It is clinically characterized by neck pain and stiffness and either dysphagia or odynophagia. Diagnosis depends on clinical suspicion and imaging examination (computed tomography of the cervical spine is the gold standard), with calcification found in the anterior region of the first and second vertebrae. The disease usually presents good clinical course, with satisfactory response to the use of either non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or corticosteroids, with remission of symptoms in days to weeks and of the calcification process in weeks to months.

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Acute calcific tendinitis of the longus colli muscle masquerading as a retropharyngeal abscess: A case report and review of the literature

Cited by 24 publications

References 15 publications

Severe neck pain and odynophagia secondary to acute calcific longus colli tendinitis: a case report

Severe neck pain and odynophagia secondary to acute calcific longus colli tendinitis: a case report

Laryngeal gout mimicking chondrosarcoma with concurrent longus colli tendinitis

Acute calcific retropharyngeal tendinitis: a three-case series and a literature review

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