Calcific tendinitis of the prevertebral muscles is a rare clinical entity. Its nonspecific presenting symptoms (e.g., retropharyngeal space infection) may mimic an infectious etiology. Treatment is based on the administration of a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) for 2 to 3 weeks and cessation of symptom-provoking activity. Most patients will improve greatly within the first 48 to 72...

We present a case of neck pain in a middle-aged woman, initially attributed to a retropharyngeal infection and treated with urgent intubation. With the help of computed tomography, the diagnosis was later revised to acute prevertebral calcific tendinitis, a self-limiting condition caused by abnormal calcium hydroxyapatite deposition in the longus colli muscles. It is critical to differentiate b...

A 47-year-old Japanese man had been suffering from acute posterior neck pain for the previous 2 days. He visited our outpatient department because he had limited neck mobility and was unable to sleep well due to this pain. The posterior neck pain became exacerbated when swallowing, and he also had dysphagia. Computed tomography scans showed light calcification on the anterior surface of the axi...

Vertebral artery is one of the arteries supplying the brain. Knowledge of the normal and variant anatomy of the vertebral artery assumes importance in clinical practice and vascular radiology. Anomalous origins of the vertebral artery from the arch of the aorta or any one of the arteries of the neck have been reported by several authors. In this report a variation of the prevertebral course of ...

To cite: Muhammad Gowdh NS, Gill FJ, Regan LA, et al. BMJ Case Rep Published online: [please include Day Month Year] doi:10.1136/bcr-2014206099 DESCRIPTION An 80-year-old woman with a history of recurrent falls presented to the emergency department following a fall. On examination she was found to be tender at the C4/5 level. A cervical spine radiograph revealed no fractures, however, there was...