Acute Calcific Longus Colli Tendinitis: An Underdiagnosed Cause of Neck Pain and Dysphagia

Etiologies for neck pain are multiple but those associated with dysphagia remain limited to retropharyngeal abscess, soft tissue swellings, trauma, oro-pharyngeal neoplasms and acute calcific longus colli tendinitis. Acute calcific longus colli tendinitis is an inflammation of the longus colli tendon that manifests with acute onset of neck pain that is often associated with torticollis and when more advanced, with dysphagia or odynophagia. We present a 39 year old woman who developed acute onset of neck pain that over the next few days progressed to involve dysphagia. Multiple imaging studies were performed that eventually supported the diagnosis of acute calcific longus colli tendinitis. We would like to raise awareness of acute calcific longus colli tendinitis as an often under-diagnosed cause of acute neck pain.