An unusual cause of dysphagia: “DISHphagia”

Abstract

Progressive dysphagia and dyspnoea presenting after major neck trauma can occasionally be secondary to post-traumatic inflammation and mass effect associated with a calcified osteophytic anterior longitudinal ligament, a frequent finding in diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis, though rarely enough to cause such symptoms. In these circumstances, surgical decompression may prove effective.

Keywords::

• anterior longitudinal ligament
• diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis
• dysphagia
• dyspnoea
• cervical spine

Acknowledgement

S.B. acknowledges Fondazione Umberto Veronesi for her 2013–2014 Postdoctoral Fellowship grant.

This work has been neither presented nor published elsewhere.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflict of interest concerning the materials or methods used in this study or the findings specified in this paper.