Acute longus colli tendinitis and otolaryngology

Two rare diseases, acute calcific retropharyngeal tendinitis, and crowned dens syndrome, mimicking meningitis: A case report

“…Other symptoms that occasionally occur with this disease include shoulder pain, arm pain, back pain, headache, dizziness, nausea, and mildto-moderate fever (8). In terms of laboratory data, white blood cell counts range from normal to mild leukocytosis, and levels of CRP and ESR are increased in most cases (8,(13)(14)(15). As in our case, CSF findings are typically within normal limits (16).…”

“…Acute calcific retropharyngeal tendinitis is most common between the ages of 30 and 60 years, with no obvious sex predominance (8,14). Previous reports have revealed three major symptoms of neck pain, stiffness, and odynophagia (8,(13)(14)(15). Other symptoms that occasionally occur with this disease include shoulder pain, arm pain, back pain, headache, dizziness, nausea, and mildto-moderate fever (8).…”

“…Retropharyngeal calcific tendinitis is a self-limiting condition, with symptoms usually resolving spontaneously within 1-2 weeks. Acute calcific retropharyngeal tendinitis responds well to NSAIDs, with or without corticosteroids, and neck pain usually decreases within a few days after starting such treatment (8,(13)(14)(15). Immobilization with a soft cervical collar is another useful method to avoid the aggravation of symptoms (11).…”

“…Therefore, both crowned dens syndrome and acute calcific retropharyngeal tendinitis involve the C1/2 joint. When encountering a patient with neck pain and severe limitation of neck movement, clinicians should consider acute calcific retropharyngeal tendinitis and crowned dens syndrome as possibilities and perform cervical CT. Second, altered consciousness is common in cases of meningitis (6) but not in cases of acute calcific retropharyngeal tendinitis or crowned dens syndrome (7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20). When encountering a patient with neck pain and altered consciousness, clinicians should consider the possibility of meningitis and perform a CSF examination.…”

Calcific tendonitis of longus colli: a rare cause of neck pain

“…Current literature describes most CTLC cases to be self-limiting and resolve spontaneously in 1–2 weeks,2 as was the case here. Exact aetiology is unknown, however calcification may occur following injury or repetitive trauma, similar to that of calcific tendinitis in other locations 3. It later came to light that the patient had been performing extensive pruning of trees prior to presentation requiring prolonged periods of neck extension, while carrying heavy machinery, and episodes of sharp flexion to avoid falling branches.…”