The Korean Journal of Pain

The Korean Pain Society (대한통증학회)
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Misconceived Retropharyngeal Calcific Tendinitis during Management of Myofascial Neck Pain Syndrome

  • Oh, Ji Youn (Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Presbyterian Medical Center) ;
  • Lim, Jin Hun (Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Presbyterian Medical Center) ;
  • Kim, Yong Seok (Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Presbyterian Medical Center) ;
  • Kwon, Young Eun (Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Presbyterian Medical Center) ;
  • Yu, Jae Yong (Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Presbyterian Medical Center) ;
  • Lee, Jun Hak (Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Presbyterian Medical Center)
  • Received : 2015.09.21
  • Accepted : 2015.10.20
  • Published : 2016.01.01
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Abstract

Differential diagnosis of posterior neck pain is very challenging based on symptoms and physical examination only. Retropharyngeal calcific tendinitis is a rare and frequently misdiagnosed entity in various causes of neck pain. It results from calcium hydroxyapatite deposition in the longus colli muscle which is characterized by severe neck pain, painful restriction of neck movement, dysphagia, and odynophagia. We herein report a case of a patient with acute retropharyngeal calcific tendinitis, who complained of posterior neck pain, initially diagnosed and treated as a myofascial neck pain syndrome.

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References

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  1. Acute Calcific Retropharyngeal Tendinitis with Eggshell-like Calcification: Case Report and Literature Review on Time-course Changes in Imaging Findings vol.12, pp.4, 2016, https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.7611