Dysphagia Due to Anterior Cervical Spine Osteophyte: A Case Report

Introduction: Degenerative changes of the cervical spine are more common in elderly, but anterior cervical osteophytes that cause problems in swallowing are rare. The most common cause of this problem is DISH disease (diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis). Trauma is also suggested as a potential cause in osteophyte formation. Case Report: We report a rare case of anterior cervical osteophyte with problems in swallowing that was caused by cervical spine trauma in a car accident 4 years ago, treated with a cervical collar. Dysphagia was the initial symptom of the disease. Barium swallowing showed a large cervical osteophyte at the C3-C4 level with compression effect on the esophagus. X-ray, CT scan and MRI of the cervical spine confirmed the osteophyte and its correlation with the esophagus. Endoscopic study of esophagus and stomach also ruled out other disorders. Surgical osteophytectomy was performed. Conclusion: Up to now, only two cases of post-traumatic anterior cervical osteophyte have been cited in the literature. In this report, we introduce an unusual case of dysphagia caused by cervical spine trauma.